No 14873, Saturday 15 Aug 2026, KrisKross

                                                   Happy Independence Day

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS 

1 Not on time... gets missed by the audience (8) OFFSTAGE {OFF}{STAGE}
5 Under pressure, judge acted badly, losing head (6) JAMMED {J}{hAMMED}
9 Slippery end of rink — falling every so often, called for vehicle (8) TRICYCLE {TRICkY}{CaLlEd}

10 Farewells in America break down you and me (6) ADIEUS {A}{DIE}{US}
12 I get a note: "Fantastic bargain!" (9) NEGOTIATE*
13 Determined to follow old scent (5) ODOUR DOUR<=>O
14 Spots uneven roads, ultimately rough (4) RASH {RoAdS}{rougH}
16 Sausages from small joints, reportedly (7) WIENIES (~WEE KNEES)
19 Refuse to accept "Anyway, it's fate!" (7) DESTINY {DENY} around {IT'S*}
21 Picked up dress accessory from Asia (4) THAI {~TIE}
24 Storage device basically containing digital recordings of music (2-3) CD-ROM [Acrostic]
25 Contracting a boy on a horse to tour Germany (9) ABRIDGING {A}{B}{RID{G}ING}
27 Heavyweight group without work building muscle (6) TONING {TON}{wING}
28 Spooner says "Save American sculptor — she is critical!" (8) LINCHPIN Spoonerism of PINCH LIN
29 Slanders brands winning millions (5) SMEARS {S{M}EARS}
30 Like a fox eating English fruit in a calm manner (6) SEDATELY {S{E}{DATE}LY}

DOWN
1 Carbon that oddly is included in a component of petrol (6) OCTANE {C}{ThAt} in ONE
2 Daughter crushed by grief breaking down, becoming cooler (6) FRIDGE {D} in {GRIEF*}
3 Go with sweetheart on vacation for a rendezvous (5) TRYST {TRY}{SweethearT}
4 Giant dog in corner rising up (7) GOLIATH  {TAIL<} in {HOG<}
6 Moving drama — one involving Dutch stars (9) ANDROMEDA {DRAMA ONE}* around D

7 Electronic device having new sign about boosting memory (8) MNEMONIC {MIC}around {N+OMEN}<
8 Sorrow as lover spends money for diamonds (8) DISTRESS (-m+D)DISTRESS
11 Catcall from back of courtroom upset trial! (4) MEOW {courtrooM}{WOE<}
15 Part of Turkey — an old country surrounded by soldiers (4,5) ASIA MINOR {A}{SIAM}{IN}{OR} surrounded by=in
17 Teaches upwardly mobile date about old gold coin (8) EDUCATES {SEE<} around {DUCAT}
18 Members in contest ran, getting split up (8) ESTRANGE [T]
20 You hadn't regularly lost money in Shanghai (4) YUAN {YoU hAdNt}

21 Wrong to stuff fork in meat dish (7) TERRINE {ERR} in {TINE}

22 Easy test with "India" as answer (6) SIMPLE {S(-a+I)IMPLE}
23 A hundred years to gather knowledge for department (6) AGENCY {A}{GEN}{C}{Y}
26 In Stalingrad, a charming cottage (5) DACHA [T]

REFERENCE LIST

Judge=J, America=A, Old=O, Boy=B, Germany=G, Work=W, Millions=M, English=E, Carbon=C, Daughter=D, Dutch=D, New=N, Money=M, Diamonds=D, Soldiers=OR, India=I, Answer=A, Hundred=C, Years=Y.

No 14872, Friday 14 Aug 2026, Bruno

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ACROSS

1   Quivering in shame, Duke leaving kingdom's edge with disgrace (10) DEHUMANISE {IN+SHAME+DUkE}*

6   Send out instructions to eliminate radical (4) EMIT rEMIT

9   Government funding money to have artificial intelligence controlled by August (5-2-3) GRANT-IN-AID {GRAN{TIN}{AI}D}

10 Take time out, impress one's leader, repeat (4) ECHO {EtCH}{One}

12 On TV, fake host mixed up speech (4,2,6) VOTE OF THANKS*

15 Credit lacking, one's cut bread (7) CROUTON {CR}{OUT}{ONe}

16 Labourer cycled lots over a road (7) YARDMAN {(+y)YMAN(-y)} over {A}{RD}

17 Treatment of Islamic sect reflects America's political heart (7) SHIATSU {SHIA} with {US}{p..iTi..l}<=

19 Evolving from Neanderthal basically, and going up (7) NASCENT {Ne...l}{ASCENT}

20 Feverish mood in Tonga's capital city (5,7)  SANTO DOMINGO*

23 Leader pulled out younger pitcher (4) EWER nEWER

24 Setter shops here? (4,6) HIGH STREET {SETTER}* [RA]

25 Undistinguished piece from Bruno — so swiftly retracted (2-2) SO-SO [T<=]

26 Feature of trending site — regularly encrypted (10)  INGREDIENT {TRENDING+sItE}*

DOWN

1   Likes archaeological sites (4) DIGS [DD]

2   Most popular American guitar's a joke (4) HOAX {HOt}{AX}

3   Setter's type returning over time to country, avoiding new place that's usually crowded (5,7) METRO STATION {ME}{SORT<=}{T}{nATION}

4   Grandma's enthusiastic for fabric (7) NANKEEN {NAN}{KEEN}

5   A robot moves like this — with rampant convulsions when touched by an insect (7) STIFFLY {FITS<=}{FLY}

7   One showing high speed's paralysed, taken to emergency room after time out in game (4,6) MACH NUMBER {NUMB}{ER}<=>{MAtCH}

8   Lowly ranked bureaucrat finally gets abridged accommodation with half bath (10) THOUSANDTH {b...aT}{HOUSe}{AND}{baTH}

11 Alas! Boy's deficient at the top and unable to make wise decisions (5-7) SHORT-SIGHTED {SIGH}{TED}<=>{SHORT}

13 Bottom of tree roots sheltering warm communities of living things (10) ECOSYSTEMS {treE}{COSY}{STEMS}

14 It rotates in dark, becoming still (10) MOTIONLESS {MO{IT<=}ONLESS}

18 Excellent reputations need to be managed without rest, perhaps (7) UTOPIAN {rePUtATIONs}*

19 One entering underground with no option (7) NEITHER {NE{1}THER}

21 Used to be husband... became wife now (4) WERE (-h+w)WERE

22 Don't change systems stripped over time (4) STET {sySTEms}{T}

Reference List

Radical = R, Money = TIN, Time = T, Credit = CR, Road = RD, Husband = H, Wife = W