No 14902, Saturday 19 Sep 2026, Incognito

 ACROSS
8 Graduate at King University in capital (4) BAKU {BA}{K}U}

9 State: I had returned with nothing (5) IDAHO {I}{HAD<}{O}

10 Fever from time covering youth centre (4) AGUE {AG{yoUth}E}
11 African rode out from ladies' room agitatedly (6) SOMALI {LAdIeS roOM}
12 Resemble John Kelvin and be attracted to (4,4) LOOK LIKE {LOO}{K}{LIKE}
13 Dangerous creature from No.1 Corps, perhaps (8) SCORPION*

15 Spiritual session from Connery at church (6) SEANCE {SEAN}{CE} A DBE indicator required for Connery?
17 Setter and that lady from London wander in a circuitous manner (7) MEANDER {ME AND hER} London or East London? In East London, people drop their aitches. 
19 A testing facility by American Medical Association in state (7) ALABAMA  {A}{LAB}{AMA}

22 Search for a forge under construction (6) FORAGE*
24 Last amulet broken up carried note (8) ULTIMATE {AMULET*} around {TI}
26 Steer one vehicle in reverse at entrance (8) NAVIGATE {{I}{VAN}}<{GATE}
28 Editor cooked bile that can be consumed (6) EDIBLE {ED}{BILE*}
30 Wealthy! Having lots of oil! (4) RICH {DD]
31 Beats in places for social gathering (5) CLUBS [DD]
32 Bird nesting in winter nest (4) TERN [T]

DOWN

1 In short, Mansoor Ali Khan's love for shark (4) MAKO {Mansoor}{Ali}{Khan}{O}

2 Islander's god placed under rug protected by local star (8) SUMATRAN {RA}<=>{MAT} in {SUN}
3 Setter leaves mini-bike damaged in island (6) BIKINI {mINI BIKe}*
4 Chivalrous girl with trainee soldier (7) GALLANT {GAL}{L}{ANT}
5 Huge lasso thrown by colonel (8) COLLOSSAL {LASSO*}<=>{COL}
6 Ali had dissected flower (6) DAHLIA*

7 Food from Kentucky (4) TUCK [HIPS]
14 Belief in sacred order (5) CREDO [T]
16 Celestial visitor comes endlessly... with a bit of tail (5) COMET {COMEs}{Tail}

18 Cheap, yet extraordinary device useful for dressing up as a pirate (8) EYEPATCH*
20 Meet by accident? (4,4) BUMP INTO [CD]
21 Exclude and lure (4,3) RULE OUT {LURE*} [RA]
23 Get off! It's on fire! (6) ALIGHT [DD]
25 Tiny nest built around eastern yard (6) TEENSY {NEST*} around{E}+{Y}
27 Letter in Arabic from Halifax (4) ALIF [HIPS]
29 To some extent strangely restless, one has to be plucky to play this instrument (4) LYRE [T]

Reference List

King=K, University=U, Nothing=0=O, Kelvin=K, Church=CE (Church of England), Setter=Me, One=1=I, Editor=Ed, Love=0=O, God=Ra (the Egyptian Sun god), Trainee=Learner=L, Eastern=E, Yard=Y.

No 14901, Friday 18 Sep 2026, Arden

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ACROSS

1   Fancy cloth as a focus to show a bit of sophistication (1,5,2,5)  A TOUCH OF CLASS*

10 Big land owner is fat, clutching his heart (5) LAIRD {LA{hIs}RD}

11 Dead simple to pack an Indian carpet (9) INANIMATE {INAN{I}{MAT}E}

12 Agree, no one returned the instrument (9) ACCORDION {ACCORD} and {NO}{1}<= 

13 The dictator's internal rule (5) EDICT [T]

14 Always there is a tiny mistake by the setter (7) ANYTIME {A}{TINY*}{ME}

16 I've a new design to entwine (7) INWEAVE*

18 Two drinks socially acceptable at the mansion (7) CHATEAU {CHA}{TEA}{U}

20 The language of money in South America (7) GUARANI [DD]

22 Music starts after main band arrives (5) SAMBA Acrostic Semi&lit

24 After change of hands, augmentation becomes bleak (9) INCLEMENT INC(-r+l)LEMENT

26 Keen to expose plan for ancient building (9) LANCINATE {pLAn}{ANCIENT*}

27 Suffer from strike — part of Mumbai spared (5) INCUR INCURsion

28 Coal shortage — I go all over the place for an excavator (13) ARCHAEOLOGIST*

DOWN

2   It's almost two — impatient and worried (7)  TWITCHY {TWo}{ITCHY}

3   Sabotage — result of a French and the German bomb (9) UNDERMINE {UN}{DER}{MINE}

4   Agatha Christie novel avoiding gate crash in the country (5) HAITI {agatHAchrIsTIe}*

5   Cast over relative showing off (9) FLAUNTING {FL{AUNT}ING}

6   Interest seen among legends for a river (5) LOIRE {LO{I}RE}

7   Am I part of retrenched workers? Showing staying power (7) STAMINA {AM}{I} in {ANTS<=}

8   Permits for beer — the entire lot has to go (9,4) CLEARANCE SALE {CLEARANCES}{ALE}

9   Shoot and catch on (3,3,7)  GET THE PICTURE [DD]

15 Clarify on cryptic clue, I see (9) ELUCIDATE {CLUE*}{I}{DATE}

17 Evading glide overboard (9) WEASELING {W{EASEL}ING}

19 Perhaps normal to accept one finally as a benefactor (7) ALMONER {ALMON{onE}R}

21 Brief copies — recoup odd bits inside (7) APERCUS {APE{ReCoUp}S}

23 Followers of Amman hungry, not fed (5) AMISH fAMISHed 

25 Stagger carrying cold fish basket (5) CREEL {REEL}<=>{C}

Reference List

Indian = I, Socially acceptable = U, Hands = R,L, A in French = UN, The in German = DER, Interest = I, Cold = C