No 13431, Saturday 18 Dec 2021, Afterdark

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS

1 Software application, one unknown branch of science (6) BOTANY {BOT}{AN}{Y}

4 Unlimited light, gas used for a dish (6) HAGGIS {lIGHt+GAS*}

9 Principal Wankhede anonymously held (4) DEAN (T)

10 Aiming rail? For a change sending letter by plane (10) AIRMAILING {AIMING+RAIL*}

11 Songs on South African city... (6) ODESSA {ODES}{SA}

12 ... conceived by a magazine editor about a nationalist (8) IMAGINED {I}{MAG}{I}{N}{ED}

13 Few drinks and dance... (3-3-3) CHA-CHA-CHA {CHA}{CHA}{CHA}

15 ... basically bringing everyone to party (4) BALL {Bringing}{ALL}

16 Kick Brown good (4) TANG {TAN}{G}

17 Primarily poetic licence to display inanity (9) PLATITUDE {Poetic}{LATITUDE}

21 Communists perhaps, on port wresting off break (4,4) LEFT WING {LEFT}{WrestING}

22 Stress on changing name quietly? Acknowledge (6) ACCEPT {ACCE(-n+P)T}

24 An air-base destroyed, one near Mumbai (7,3) ARABIAN  SEA {AN+AIR+BASE*}{A}

25 Part of church where by oversight, corner is demolished (4) APSE {lAPSE}

26 Setter’s line scrubbed with tissue (6) MYELIN {MY}{LINE*}

27 Society’s understanding is insignificant (6) SLIGHT {S}{LIGHT}

DOWN

1 Understand book first, take time (hour) to gain latitude (7) BREADTH {B}{READ}{T}{H}

2 Containers // seen in battlefields (5) TANKS (DD)

3 Commander, say, held by unstable Rani, falls (7) NIAGARA {RANI*} around {AGA}

5 Artists repeatedly hide in a tunnel mainly in a mountain (6) ARARAT {A}{RA}{RA}{Tunnel}

6 One victor in fearless Rome reportedly (9) GALLIVANT {GALL{I}{V}ANT} 

7 Fish found in South and East direction on lake (4,3) SAND EEL {S}{AND}{E}{E}{L}

8 Say, Salim Ali is shooting riot in disguise around central Tamil Nadu (13) ORNITHOLOGIST {SHOOTING+RIOT*} around {tamiLnadu}

14 Police officer’s uniform taken by crook (9) CONSTABLE {CON}{STABLE}

16 Statement in article — more confusion (7) THEOREM {THE}{MORE*}

18 Art movement’s against pain and effort (7) TRAVAIL {ART*}{V}{AIL}

19 Payment of French given to Gulf for procuring windows, perhaps (7) DEPOSIT {DE}{P{OS}IT}

20 City police officer in protection of Goddess (6) KIGALI {K{IG}ALI} 

23 Old tennis player caught, to be suspended (5) CHANG {C}{HANG} Suspended seems to suggest hanged/hung and not hang

 Reference List

Software application=Bot, One=An, Unknown=Y, South African=SA, A=I, Magazine=Mag, Editor=Ed, A=I, Nationalist=N, Good=G, Port=Left, Name=N, Quietly=P, One=A, Setter's=My, Society=S

Book=B, Time=T, Hour=H, Artists=RA, One=I, Victor=V, South=S, East=E, Direction=E, Lake=L, Article=The, Against=V, Of French=De, Windows perhaps=OS, Police Officer=IG, Caught=C

Colour/Font Scheme

Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Theme word,  Reference list word, Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Opposite indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous