No 14795, Saturday 16 May 2026, Hypatia

 ACROSS
7 Get rid of letters from index term in a textbook (11) EXTERMINATE [T]
8 Lot's spoken for a little limelight (3) LUX {~LUCK'S}
10 Deep // sea fish (4) BASS [DD]
11 Old-time secretary rearranging notes (5) STENO*
12 Local returning before India's spring harvest (4) RABI {BAR<}{I}
13 Entrances to historical and majestic pillars in heritage site (5) HAMPI [Acrostic]

15 Extremely envious incident framing one charged for spying (9) ESPIONAGE {EnviouS}{P{ION}AGE}

16 Checks for auditor's rules (6) REIGNS {~REINS}
18 I hated trips in Middle Eastern airline (6) ETIHAD*

21 What one gets from eating garlic in the bar (3,6) BAD BREATH {THE BAR*} [RA]
23 Husband overwhelmed by duty in mating game? (5) CHESS {C{H}ESS}
25 Starts to question UN about Yemeni port (4) QUAY [Acrostic]
26 Father wearing cool fashion brand (5) PRADA {P{RAD}A}

27 Replace stews without exotic eel or fish (4) CARP {RePlACe*}
28 Fine tips from embroidered Zari in Moroccan hat (3) FEZ {F}{Embroidered}{Zari}

29 Actor's pass with a hint of romance in dreary kiss (7,4) GREGORY PECK {GRE{GO}{Romance}Y}{PECK}

DOWN

1 Old accountant on vacation, initially had food - mine! (8) EXCAVATE {EX}{CA}{Vacation}{ATE}
2 Space between hospital sheets, ultimately in layers (4) HENS {H}{EN}{sheetS}
3 Cheer up in the morning with milk (5) AMUSE {AM}{USE}
4 Topical jingle that's upside down (7) INVERSE {IN}{VERSE}
5 Drug in operation used to release oxygen (8) ATROPINE {OPERATIoN*}

6 Spooner asking tramp to embrace fraud (6) HUMBUG {Spoonerism of BUM HUG}
9 Prohibit course covering resistance wave (8) BRANDISH {B{R}AN}{DISH}
14 Ordinary request put up in outlays for attendants (8) PAGEBOYS {O BEG}< in {PAYS}
17 Cleaners in school with those in tears (8) SWEEPERS {S}{WEEPERS}
19 Conceptual// outline (8) ABSTRACT [DD]
20 Doctor gets to drink poured rum (7) STRANGE {GETS*} around {RAN=poured}
22 Discrimination shown in cinema cum entertainment (6) ACUMEN [T]
24 Say, Omani upset about bit of jeera in millet (5) BAJRA {ARAB<} around {Jeera}

27 Penny cuddled by shy ape (4) COPY {CO{P}Y}

Reference List

India=I, Husband=H, Fine=F, Old=Ex, Accountant=CA (Chartered Accountant), Space=EN, Hospital=H, Morning=AM, Oxygen=O, Resistance=R, Ordinary=O, School=S, Penny=P.

No 14794, Friday 15 May 2026, Hypatia

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ACROSS

7   Cycles poorly to hospital in rough vehicle (8) RICKSHAW {(-s)ICK(+s)S}{H}{ in {RAW}

9   Active local touring old destinations initially on a ship (6) ABOARD {A}{B{O}AR}{De...s}

10 Personally crafted project, say - a lamp (4) DIYA {DIY}{A}

11 Cancelling out filling NYU rolls (10) NULLIFYING*

12 Intolerant people in scraps about match (6) BIGOTS {BI{GO}TS}

14 Whip gooey substances coating ordinary fruits (8) TANGELOS {TAN}{GEL{O}S}

15 Terribly upsetting hater (13) HEARTBREAKING [HATER}* [RA]

18 The Reverend Harry's condition in decline (8) STAGNATE (~nag state to stagnate)

20 Sanskrit scholar drinking hot water in Delhi (6) PANINI {PAN{IN}I}

21 The only option for an ultimate holiday spot? (4,6) LAST RESORT {LAST}{RESORT}

22 Middle Eastern port finally closed to North America (4) DOHA Tail Acrostic

23 Surprisingly last to answer on the buzzer? (6) HORNET {a...eR+ON+THE}*

24 African from Western part of Ghana is in Utah (8) TUNISIAN [T<=]

DOWN

1   Drop vessel, eating very little (8) DIMINISH {DI{MINI}SH}

2   Fine bits of radish alongside vegetable (4) OKRA {OK}{Ra...h}{Al...e}

3   Conservative husband in old style baggy trousers (6) CHINOS {C}{H}{IN}{O}{S}

4   Spanish ranch house had a nice complex (8) HACIENDA*

5   Say, Hawaiian acting in one's play (10) POLYNESIAN*

6   Supporting books - starting from Othello, immediately (6) PRONTO {PRO}{NT}{Ot...o}

8   Smart new tutor led extremely unusual careers (4-6-3) WELL-TURNED-OUT {NEW+TUTOR+LED+Un...aL}*

13 Oscar called you and me to protect brown animals (10) ORANGUTANS {O}{RANG}{U{TAN}S}

16 Touchy about party reduced to a caricature (8) TRAVESTY {T{RAVe}ESTY}

17 Girl with bhai jaan, not oddly pacifist by principle (8) GANDHIAN {G}{AND}{bHaI+jAaN}

19 Item of crockery the camp lost frequently (6) TEAPOT {ThE+cAmP+lOsT}

20 Part of expat in American film (6) PATINA [T]

22 Whack fly (4) DASH [DD]

Reference List

Hospital = H, Old = O, Ordinary = O, Hot = IN, Conservative = C, Husband = H, Style = S, Books = NT(New Testament), Oscar = O, Girl = G