No 14872, Friday 14 Aug 2026, Bruno

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.

ACROSS

1   Quivering in shame, Duke leaving kingdom's edge with disgrace (10)

6   Send out instructions to eliminate radical (4)

9   Government funding money to have artificial intelligence controlled by August (5-2-3)

10 Take time out, impress one's leader, repeat (4)

12 On TV, fake host mixed up speech (4,2,6)

15 Credit lacking, one's cut bread (7)

16 Labourer cycled lots over a road (7)

17 Treatment of Islamic sect reflects America's political heart (7)

19 Evolving from Neanderthal basically, and going up (7)

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

23 Leader pulled out younger pitcher (4)

24 Setter shops here? (4,6)

25 Undistinguished piece from Bruno — so swiftly retracted (2-2)

26 Feature of trending site — regularly encrypted (10)

DOWN

1   Likes archaeological sites (4)

2   Most popular American guitar's a joke (4)

3   Setter's type returning over time to country, avoiding new place that's usually crowded (5,7)

4   Grandma's enthusiastic for fabric (7)

5   A robot moves like this — with rampant convulsions when touched by an insect (7)

7   One showing high speed's paralysed, taken to emergency room after time out in game (4,6)

8   Lowly ranked bureaucrat finally gets abridged accommodation with half bath (10)

11 Alas! Boy's deficient at the top and unable to make wise decisions (5-7)

13 Bottom of tree roots sheltering warm communities of living things (10)

14 It rotates in dark, becoming still (10)

18 Excellent reputations need to be managed without rest, perhaps (7)

19 One entering underground with no option (7)

21 Used to be husband... became wife now (4)

22 Don't change systems stripped over time (4)

No 14871, Thursday 13 Aug 2026, Arden

Solution to 2D 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

1   Such a number is a contradiction — any way you look at it (5,3,2,4) NEVER ODD OR EVEN <=>

10 Old lot rejected praise (5) EXTOL {EX}{LOT<=}

11 Visit to observe things first hand and make landfall (5,4) FIELD TRIP {FIELD}{TRIP}

12 Hog on surplus, not to be returned (7) GLUTTON {GLUT}{NOT<=}

13 It's iced rum which is most unpredictable (7) DICIEST*

14 Drive over dead animal (5) ELAND {ELAN}{D}

16 Love to read part of a review at a roman institution (9) INAMORATA [T<=]

19 Plant to look intelligent (9) EYEBRIGHT {EYE}{BRIGHT}

20 Well chosen land (5) SPAIN {SPA}{IN}

22 Increasing current passing through the coil (7) RAMPING {R{AMP}ING}

25 A worker getting angry about firm (7) ADAMANT {A}{MAD<=}{ANT}

27 Unfortunately, Hindus get blinded (9) UNSIGHTED*

28 Some return from Newcastle to Hedley to find accommodation (5) HOTEL [T<=]

29 Our fearsome dog barking as well (3,4,7) FOR GOOD MEASURE* 

DOWN

2   Engage half heartedly to accommodate travel companions (9) E?T?U?A?E ()

3   Confidence shown amid all the clatter (5) ECLAT [T]

4   Being rude is bad conclusion (9) OFFENDING {OFF}{ENDING}

5   Fear of death before scan (5) DREAD {D}{READ}

6   They wrote proclamations which embarrassed the cast (9) REDACTORS {RED}{ACTORS}

7   Engine driver set to keep within the lines (5) VERSE [T]

8   Rising prospect of hard hat perhaps finding a fraction of crude oil (7) NAPHTHA {PAN<=}{H}{HAT*}

9   Outstanding protection for English disease (6) DENGUE {D{ENG}UE}

15 Audacity of the Democratic party to go about making mistakes (7-2) DERRING-DO {D}{DO} over {ERRING}

17 Twinkling star will confuse on how to ride a horse (9) ASTRADDLE {STAR*}{ADDLE}

18 Destroy area, blast the stone (9) ALABASTER* 

19 Uniform force inside frame made to protect against cold and noise (7) EARMUFF {U}{F} in {FRAME}*

21 Outsiders narrate that line in anger (6) NETTLE {Na...tE}{ThaT}{LinE}

23 Tight-fisted gentleman is wasting time (5) MISER MIStER

24 To end it all, camping area not safe and enclosed (5) GATED Tail Acrostic

26 Jack embraces, he remains (5) ASHES {AS{HE}S}

Reference List

Old = EX, Dead = D, Chosen = IN, Death = D, Prospect = PAN, Hard = H, Democratic = D, Party = DO, Uniform = U, Force = F, Time = T