No 14913, Friday 02 Oct 2026, Hypatia

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

1   Fine dialect mixed with English (8) DELICATE {DIALECT}*{E}

5   Abridged creator's introduction to song composer (6) BRAHMS {BRAHMa}{Song}

10 A criminal had occasionally seen crime as unrighteousness (7) ADHARMA {A}{HAD*}{cRiMe+As}

11 Completely obsolete or modernised (7) UPDATED {UP}{DATED}

12 Technical expressions representing many subjects, basically (5) TERMS Acrostic &lit

13 Heated and dry cooked to remove water (9) DEHYDRATE*

14 Proposed healthy topic's abandoned (12) HYPOTHETICAL*

18 Spooner's restrained like a hawk in perfect condition (5,2,1,4) SOUND AS A BELL {~bound as a sell to sound as a bell}

21 State of guy trapped in Iran - America conflicts (9) ARGENTINA {GENT} in {IRAN+A}*

23 Fruit sources of original liquor in Venice especially (5) OLIVE Acrostic

24 Divine journey meeting daughter's wish (7) GODLIKE {GO}{D}{LIKE}

25 Tests gold handles (7)  ORDEALS {OR}{DEALS}

26 Tie and dye art's frequently red (6) TENDER {TiE+aNd+DyE+aRt}

27 Long duration of meal regularly converting to energy in motherhood (8) ETERNITY (-ma+e)ETERNITY

DOWN

1   Want samples of handmade art hangings (6) DEARTH [T]

2   Folktale about a husband's city (6) LAHORE {L{A}{H}ORE}

3   Short saint regarded and showed deference (9) CURTSEYED {CURT}{S}{EYED}

4   Dark web expert, reversing role, orders iPod models (8,6) TRAPDOOR SPIDER {PART<=}{ORDERS+IPOD}*

6   Auditor's scanned passport prepared again (5) REDID {(~read)RED}{ID}

7   Cause for condiment that's spicy (3,5)  HOT SAUCE {CAUSE}* [RA]

8   Crafty about vacating unused study without warning (8) SUDDENLY {S{Un..eD}{DEN}LY}

9   First thing to do in a regatta - spare no expenses (4,3,4,3) PUSH THE BOAT OUT [DD]

15 Reject all or derail some tough challenge (4,5) TALL ORDER [T]

16 Snail won second place in running race before (8) ESCARGOT {GOT}<=>{S} in {RACE}*

17 Kipling character united with gang making noise (5,3) GUNGA DIN {U+GANG}*{DIN}

 Though I've belted you and flayed you,
        By the livin' Gawd that made you,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

— "Gunga Din", lines 82–84

19 Bahraini confused about this desi name (6) BIHARI {BIHARI+A+N}*=BAHRAINI

20 Spirited celebration welcoming onset of Indian year (6) FEISTY {FE{I}ST}{Y}

22 Simple mother lacking time (5) NAIVE NAtIVE

Reference List

English = E, America = A, Daughter = D, Energy = E, Husband = H, Saint = S, Second = S, United = U, About = A, Name = N, Indian = I, Year = Y, Time = T

No 14912, Thursday, 01 Oct 2026, Hypatia

Solution to 28A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

7   Fan boy dancing around extremely brave girl in main area (3,2,6) BAY OF BENGAL {FAN+BOY}* Over {BravE} and {GAL}

8   Cool stuff kept in kitchen, frequently (3) ICE kItChEn

10 Breakfast food includes deliciously light item for starters (4) IDLI Acrostic

11 Place with bars in state wasting bachelor's time? (5) TIHAR (-b+t)TIHAR

12 Right from list in podcast (4) LIEN Anno pending (Addendum - (~lean) - See comments)

13 In France, good backing the aristocrat (5) NOBLE {BON<=}{LE} 

15 British actors terribly bored by promotion in show (9) BROADCAST {B+ACTORS}* over {AD}

16 Model on magazine / paper (6) TISSUE {T}{ISSUE}

18 Daughter first abandoned strays (6) DRIFTS {D}{FIRST*}

21 Doctor to those having power — a therapist (9) OSTEOPATH {TO+THOSE}* over {P}{A}

23 Categories of nasty pests (5) TYPES [T]

25 Mammals oddly avoided a plant (4) AMLA {mAmMaLs}{A}

26 Fleece customers at the end, after independent portraits (5) ICONS {CON}{c...rS}<={I}

27 Daily plan's incomplete (4) CHAR CHARt

28 Snake vanishing with insect (3) ?S? (Addendum - ASP wASP - See comments)

29 Peril of an important position (4,7) HIGH PROFILE {PERIL+OF}* [RA]

DOWN

1   Style of cooking indoor at spreads (8) TANDOORI*

2   Drive near huge unending desert (4) GOBI {GO}{BIg}

3   Boat capsizing every now and then had to sink (5) ABATE {BoAt<=}{ATE}

4   Secures Emcees (7) ANCHORS {DD]

5   Spooner's simple palm accessory (8) HAIRBAND (~bare hand to hairband)

6   Entrance of conservative church blocked behind (6) ACCESS {C}{CE} in {ASS}

9   Enthusiasm of star ultimately settling in American Hollywood's home (8) ALACRITY {staR} in {A}{LA CITY}

14 Criminal saves gal in Sin City (3,5) LAS VEGAS*

17 Obscene clip shot in retreat (8)  EXPLICIT {EX{CLIP*}IT}

19 Tips from Spooner to understand stories (8) TOENAILS (~know tales to toenails)

20 Decline an award (7) ATROPHY {A}{TROPHY}

22 Almost identical like old inverted triangular snack (6) SAMOSA {SAMe}{AS+O<=}

24 Unlawfully seize using reprobate political leaders! (5) USURP Acrostic &lit

27 Outlet that serves public a few sandwiches (4) CAFE [T]

Reference List

Bachelor = B, Time = T, Good in French = BON, The in French = LE, British = B, Promotion = AD, Model = T, Daughetr = D, Power = P, Independent = I, With = W, Conservative = C, Church = CE, American = A, Old = O