The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 79, Sunday 25 Oct 2026, Afterdark

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations Compulsory)

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ACROSS  

8   AI introduced in Vietnam is worthless (4)

9   Forced the crowd (5)

10 Employs American warship around central Nigeria (4)

11 Regional Engineering Colleges uses intellectual property to expose system (6)

12 Described dog? Indeed (8)

13 Engineer may bless convention (8)

15 Clears tracks (6)

17 Temporarily uses first bus at golden lines (7)

19 Understands that time is redundant for these people (7)

22 Energetic Kazakhstanis discard khakis and produce a poem, say (6)

24 Criminal Ellis hid in brae (8)

26 Precious stones kept in suit (8)

28 Having uninterrupted power supply in Delhi East initially is an advantageous aspect (6)

30 Boy with golden spoon ultimately was brought to life by birth (4)

31 Indicate time (5)

32 Send son to guard borders (4)

DOWN

1   Cook bass and koi first adding spice at the end (4)

2   Technician in England shakes and has beer after removing lid (8)

3   Say, quickly debar first voter that's fraud (6)

4   Farewell to leave with first daughter, boy, 4th wife on tour (7)

5   Doctors for depression? First session in the beginning (8)

6   Coach on line, beginning to go as it is more occupied (6)

7   Female, stranger at England seen at fair (4)

14 Fire bolt (5)

16 To encourage to stay outside University is noble (5)

18 Infirmity comes from fitful wakefulness, having flu (8)

20 Demanded sibling shortened visit to India (8)

21 How his personality is helping to make a rumour (7)

23 Baptizing Amin inside's not good (6)

25 Dolly sauntered around university noisily (6)

27 Metal found in the environment (4)

29 For fathers, daughters are darlings surely, from the beginning (4)

No 14932, Saturday 24 October 2026, Incognito

ACROSS
8 Juliet is in front of sick girl tumbling after Jack (4) JILL {J}{ILL}

9 Kind of taste satsuma might possess (5) UMAMI [T]
10 Before 9, United Nations gets operating system (4) UNIX {IX}<=>{UN}
11 Cheese maker's tenner returned (6) RENNET<
12 Exaggerated usage, perhaps, about slaughter (8) OVERKILL {OVER}{KILL}
13 Where one may find figure eights left by sportspersons... (3,5) ICE RINKS [CD]
15 Distress call from vessel after vessel (3,3) PAN PAN {PAN}x2
17 Frank, a singer playing sitar around North America (7) SINATRA {SITAR*} around NA

19 In absence of a coach, diced and covered with gin cocktail to make pasta-like dumplings (7) GNOCCHI {COaCH*} in GIN*

22 Name child under guardian after editor (6) EDWARD {WARD}<=>{{ED}
24 Wrongly indicate a series of elements (8) ACTINIDE*
26 Disfigured Thane cop's memorial (8) CENOTAPH*
28 John and Theodore plundered (6) LOOTED {LOO}{TED}
30 Put it in big enchilada initially and sink teeth in (4) BITE {Big}{IT}{Enchilada}
31 With love, new elm may produce citrus fruit (5) LEMON {O+N+ELM}*
32 Give out loan instalment before time (4) EMIT {EMI}{T}

DOWN
1 Pest is in custody of policeman (4) LICE [HIPS]
2 Horrible rain near plot results in flatworms (8) PLANARIA {RAIN*}<=>{PLAN} anagram fodder amiss
3 Boy leaves dustbin for Hoffman (6) DUSTIN DUSTbIN

4 Oddly move Amos, after dropping Mike, and go away (7) VAMOOSE {mOVE AMOS}*
5 Tailless feline goes around mineral spring resort for period from birth till death (8) LIFESPAN {FELINe*} around SPA
6 Hide behind Russian, Mr Bond (6) RUSKIN {SKIN}<=>{RU}

7 Advertisement may be seen on board behind him (4) BILL [DD}
14 Spoiled rice before commencement of dinner and sobbed (5) CRIED {RICE*}{Dinner}
16 Pest from Andhra Pradesh covered (5) APHID {AP}{HID}
18 Shattered emerald strewn around front of pine tree (3,5) RED MAPLE {EMERALD*} around {Pine}

20 Means from criminal with pieces of paper currency (8) CONNOTES {CON}{NOTES}
21 Amish is cooking Japanese delicacy (7) SASHIMI*

23 Animal having crushed ego in climax (6) APOGEE APE around EGO*
25 Story book is a gift (6) TALENT {TALE}{NT}
27 Lake in Madikeri estate (4) ERIE [T]
29 Ruler's firearm is damaged after throwing far away (4) EMIR {fIREarM}*

REFERENCE LIST

Juliet=J, United Nations=UN, North America=NA, Editor=Ed, Love=0=O, New=N, Boy=B, Mike=M, Russian=RU, Andhra Pradesh=AP, Book=NT (New Testament).