No 13518, Thursday 31 Mar 2022, Hypatia

Solution to 18D 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.

ACROSS

8   Musical instruments in last trips entertaining a boy (6) TABLAS {T{A}{B}LAS*}

9   Inexperienced student working around Europe (8) UNTESTED {UNT{E}STED*}

10 Kills abilities of employees? (8) SKILLSET {KILLS}* [RA]

11 Memorised books on Shakespearean character (6) LEARNT {LEAR}{NT}

12 Injected botox, say to cover one having feet down (8) PLUMIPED {PLUM{1}PED}

13 American retracts final word without single condition (6) ANEMIA {A}{A{1}MEN<=}

14 Top post initially grabbed by evil person (7) SPINNER {S{Post}INNER}

17 He doesn’t believe a bank job consumes time (7) ATHEIST {A}{T}{HEIST}

20 As in Karate, it’s defence oriented, primarily (6) AIKIDO Acrostic &lit

22 Check others in front of shower (8) RESTRAIN {REST}{RAIN}

25 Jumped and spilt the beans without press reports initially (6) SPRANG {S{Press}{Re...s}ANG}

26 Fast track income from marijuana according to Spooner (8) SPEEDWAY (~weeds pay to  speed way)

27 Frequently recalled diet that could be cultivated (8) EDUCATED {DiEt+ThAt+CoUlD+bE}<=

28 Deal with fishing gear (6) TACKLE [DD]

DOWN

1   Friendly gesture of pals (8) BACKSLAP {PALS}<=

2   Small cracks around circle in obstacle race (6) SLALOM {SLAL{O}M*}

3   Exhausts America with drugs and drink (4,2) USES UP {US}{E}{SUP}

4   Keeping scout busy on vacation day (7) CUSTODY {SCOUT*}{DaY}

5   Holy man wielding Indian sword is sturdy (8) STALWART {S{TALWAR}T}

6   Tongue has same sensation inside (8)  ASSAMESE [T]

7   Henry drills to fix unit in plant (6) MEHNDI {ME{H}ND}{1}

15 Peacekeeper rejected abandoning case in problem (8) NUISANCE {UN<=}{CASE+IN}*

16 Holding tight, essentially, Musk had to stretch out (8) ELONGATE {tiGht} in {ELON}{ATE}

18 Fit sailor touching 50 occupying rooms (8) S?I?A?L? (Addendum - SUITABLE {SUIT{AB}{L}E} - See comments)

19 Spider crawling on engineer’s chair (7) PRESIDE {SPIDER*}{E}

21 Walked unsteadily leaving top English bar (6) IMPEDE {lIMPED}{E}

23 This elegant actor and author writes plays — creates “Oliver Twist” (6) SVELTE  {SVELTE+ACTOR+I+WRITES = CREATES+OLIVER+TWIST} [CA] 

24 Friend’s uncle regularly supplies contract (6) REDUCE {fRiEnDs+UnClE}

Reference List

Boy = B, Europe = E, Books = NT(New Testament), American = A, Time = T, Drugs = E, Holy Man = ST, Indian sword = TALWAR, Henry = H, Sailor = AB, 50 = L, Engineer = E, English = E 

No 13517, Wednesday 30 Mar 2022, Hypatia

Solution to 10A 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.

ACROSS

1   Look through delightful books (6) NOTICE {N{OT}ICE}

4   Syrups and jams changing hands (8) MOLASSES MO(-r+l)LASSES

9   Can piano master face the other side performing (6) PRISON {P}{SIR<=}{ON}

10 Bats hang only in blossom tree (8) ?A?O?A?Y (Addendum - MAHOGANY {MA{HANG+O}*Y} - See comments))

12 Kate’s carry-out (8) TAKEAWAY {KATE}* [RA]

13 Oddly brown on reflection, like one indoor plant (6) BONSAI {BrOwN}{1+AS<=}

15 You can hold sermons on vacation breaks in religious institution (6,6) SUNDAY SCHOOL {SCHOOL}<=>{SUNDAY} (Addendum - {YOU+CAN+HOLD+Se...nS}* - See comments)

18 Where Staff might not find work taxing? (4-4,4)  DUTY-FREE SHOP [C&DD]

21 Associate cycling just outside posh street (6) AVENUE {A}{(-e}VEN(+e)E} over {U}

22 Terrible Player touring America and England in 2020, perhaps (4,4) LEAP YEAR {PLAYER}* over {A} and {E}

24 Restrain audacious journalist, per Spooner (4,4) HOLD BACK (~bold hack to hold back)

25 Permanent marker? (6) TATTOO [CD]

26 Memsahib’s extremely boring, upset, a little rude and old hat (8) SOMBRERO {SO{Me...iB}RE}{Rude}{O}

27 Game fixed without local backing (6) TENNIS {S{INN}ET}<=

DOWN

1   Relatively advanced placement practice? (8) NEPOTISM [CD]

2   Narrow royal view (8) THINKING {THIN}{KING}

3   Collected letters provided by a secular mob (4,2,1,8)  COOL AS A CUCUMBER Letter Bank

5   Shape often viewed a lot from above (4) OVAL Acrostic

6   Resolving a plea(s) to let working couple in? That’s too much (1,3,2,4,5) A LOT ON ONES PLATE  {A+PLEA+TO+LET}* over {ON}{ONES} There seems to be an extra E in the fodder? (Adendum - {A+PLEAS+TO+LET}* over {ON+ON} - See comments)

7   Rows closer to line that’s thinly dotted (6) SPARSE {SPARS}{linE}

8   Check pen with writer, say (6) STYMIE {STY}{MIE(~me)}

11 Greyest accessories camouflage round gemstone (4,3) CATS EYE [T<=]

14 Place to bottle basil drink (7) SHERBET {S{HERB}ET}

16 Cow starting to trudge over earthen ground (8) THREATEN {Tr...e}{EARTHEN*}

17 Bogus Indian food introduced in France, below (8) SPURIOUS {S{PURI}OUS}

19 Shot hit may be frequently picked up and let down (6) BATHOS {ShOt+HiT+mAy+Be}<=

20 Bachelor picking up man without date in confusion (6) BEDLAM {B}{MAL{D}E<=}

23 Mark runs around pushing drugs (4) SCAR RACeS<=

Reference List

Books = OT, Only = O, Piano = P, Associate = A, Posh = U, America = A, England = E, Old = O, Below in French = SOUS, Bachelor = B, Date = D, Drugs = E

No 13516, Tuesday 29 Mar 2022, Vulcan

Solution to 9A 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.

ACROSS

1   Capital of Haryana, a strange city (6) HARARE {Ha...a}{A}{RARE}

4   Move out of a dry place (6) DESERT [DD]

8   Aromatic liquid used in coolers perhaps (7) CREOSOL*

9   Permanent surface — not variable (7) ?T?R?A? (Addendum - ETERNAL ExTERNAL - See comments)

11 A bit insane working while away (2,8) IN ABSENTIA*

12 Devise a syllabus that’s somewhat simple (4) EASY [T]

13 Passageway is covered in beer (5) AISLE {A{IS}LE}

14 Executioner is ashamed about execution eventually (8) HEADSMAN {ASHAMED}*{e...oN}

16 British town that’s sunny without end (8) BRIGHTON {BRIGHT}{ON} Anno pending See comments

18 Relative’s counsel not so bad (5) UNCLE CoUNsEL*

20 Live with a university sweetheart (4) BEAU {BE}{A}{U}

21 Houses feature new screen/curtains (10) RESIDENCES {RE{SIDE}NCES*}

23 Choose not to vote? It’s a black mark (7) ABSTAIN {A}{B}{STAIN}

24 Stir is meant for them (7) INMATES* Semi&lit

25 Go back after missing the first exit (6) EGRESS rEGRESS

26 Special group that’s about extremely large (6) SELECT {SE{LargE}CT}

DOWN

1   This girl’s working as a mathematician (5) HERON {HER}{ON}

2   Mob rush out to see a figure (7) RHOMBUS*

3   Difficult to resolve for the president (9) ROOSEVELT* 

5   Very wide, say (5) EXTRA [DD]

6   Students starting off to become breadwinners (7) EARNERS lEARNERS

7   Decode the first of transcripts — managed before schedule (9) TRANSLATE {Tr...s}{RAN}{SLATE}

10 It needs a scratch since this is irritating (9) ITCHINESS {SINCE+THIS}* Semi&lit

13 A lager beer not quite brewed nice (9) AGREEABLE {A+LAGER+BEEr}*

15 Plenty of food following a party (9) ABUNDANCE {BUN}<=>{A} and {DANCE}

17 Good to walk, starting to go leaner (7) GAUNTER {G}{sAUNTER}

19 Kid hollow and depressed (7) CONCAVE {CON}{CAVE}

21 A means of directing commands, say (5) REINS (~reigns)

22 Regular time for contest (5) EVENT {EVEN}{T}

Reference List

Variable = X, University = U, Black = B, Good = G, Time = T

No 13515, Monday 28 Mar 2022, 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.

ACROSS

1   It is a new drink infused with herbs (6) TISANE [T] &lit

4   Oral complaints about six matches (8) CAVITIES {CA}{VI}{TIES}

9   Prefaces and writing inverses (6) PROEMS {P{R}OEMS}

10 On average 1 is mostly biased (8) PARTISAN {PAR}{TISANe}

12 Muscle becomes sore next (8) EXTENSOR*

13 Core group of sailors enter bottom of the ship (6) KERNEL {KE{RN}EL}

15 You’ll find one in a newspaper — it’s assorted nowadays (10,2) CLASSIFIED AD {CLASSIFIED}{AD}

18 See an atheist become numb (12) ANAESTHETISE*

21 Images represent some form of discrimination (6) AGEISM*

22 Coming to capture? (8) ENTRANCE [DD]

24 Article on high fever from a Dutch city (3,5) THE HAGUE {THE}{H}{AGUE}

25 Caught in a huge mess, it’s awkward (6) GAUCHE {C} in {A+HUGE}*

26 Order to sleep and make it level (8) BULLDOZE {BULL}{DOZE}

27 Soldier to check that menace (6) THREAT {TH{RE}AT}

DOWN

1   Tolerate the vice president, it doesn’t cost much (8) TUPPENCE {PUT<=}{PENCE} Tolerate=Put up

2   Breakdown in Polish military transport (5,3) S?O?T ?A? {Addendum - SCOUT CAR - {SCOU{ACT<=}R} - See comments)

3   Built mansion inland as we are all inter-dependent (2,3,2,2,6) NO MAN IS AN ISLAND {MANSION+INLAND+AS}*

5   Open to Indian King’s ascendency (4) AJAR<=

6   Maybe it means he gets inspiration almost simultaneously (2,3,4,6) IN THE SAME BREATH [C&DD]

7   She remains an enigma, that’s somewhat absurd (6) INSANE [T]

8   Mentally confused? Look, it’s empty! (6) SENILE {SE{NIL}E}

11 Cosy, about to enter plant (7) COMFREY {COMF{RE}Y}

14 Lot to refuse, but it’s creeping up inside (7) DESTINY {DE{ITS<=}NY}

16 Hurry up, come to clean at the top (8) PINNACLE {NIP<=}{CLEAN*}

17 Shroud exposed here — breaking bond (8) CEREMENT {C{hERe}EMENT}

19 Vehicle carrying worker from Cambridge (6) CANTAB {C{ANT}AB}

20 Cancel actual percentage banks invested (6) REPEAL {RE{Pe...gE}AL}

23 Appeal to mid-sized ships crossing this water body (4) SUEZ {SUE}{siZed}

Reference List

About = CA, Writing = R, Group of sailors = RN(Royal Nay), High = H, Caught = C, Soldier = RE(Royal Engineers), About = RE

Special, Sunday 27 Mar 2022, Ajji

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory) 

Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

AJJI 8

By Ajji

▸

◂

▾

▴

Squares filled: 0/154

Exolve Print Notes Jotter Webifi Ⓒ Ajji & THCC

Crossword ID: SUNDAYSPECIAL 441

Exolve v1.61 February 22, 2025 Report-Bug Exolve-on-GitHub Community

Control keys:

• Tab/Shift-Tab: Jump to the next/previous clue.
• Enter, Click/Tap: Toggle current direction.
• Arrow keys: Move to the nearest light square in that direction.
• Ctrl-q: Clear this, Ctrl-Q: Clear All!, Ctrl-B: Print crossword, Ctrl-/: Jump to/back-from notes, Ctrl-*: Mark clue as fave in notes, adding a * prefix.
• Delete: Clear the contents of the current square.
• Spacebar: Place block in the current square if it's diagramless.
• Double-click or Shift+Letter: If the puzzle has rebus cells, this is the way to enter multiple letters into a single cell.

Overwritten letters will briefly be coloured like this (before fading back to this) just to draw your attention so that you can fix any accidental typing errors.

Your entries are auto-saved in the browser's local storage. You can share the state using this link: URL

Print or create a PDF: Grid and clues Only grid Only clues Inksaver

Font size: Normal Large Extra Large Small Other

Page size: Letter: 8.5in x 11in A4: 210mm x 297mm A3: 297mm x 420mm A5: 148mm x 210mm B4: 250mm x 353mm B5: 176mm x 250mm Book: 6in x 9in Legal: 8.5in x 14in Ledger: 11in x 17in

Margin (inches, up to 4 numbers):

Include if visible:

Title	Setter	Preamble
Explanations	Copyright	Questions

Extra header:	Extra footer:
Force grid scale to:

Add QR code for this puzzle's URL

Call to action:
The QR code (rendered to the right) will be printed to the bottom-right of the page bottom-left of the page . QR code size: 96 128 160 .

Convert Explanations URLs to QR codes

Show clue-solving sequence:

Show entered solutions:

Show clue-solving times:

• Ctrl-/ takes you to the current clue's notes (or overall notes) and back (if already there).
• Ctrl-* adds a * prefix to the current clue's notes.
• Hovering over a clue's notes shows the clue as a tooltip.

Across

1.

9.

10.

11.

14.

15.

17.

18.

20.

24.

25.

26.

Down

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

12.

13.

16.

19.

21.

22.

23.

Jotting pad: (click here to shuffle)

---

Down & Up

---

---

Across

1	The group of flying insects, not starting, heated right inside cape lead to tenderness (15)
9	Glue mostly around a model to be motionless (6)
10	North American States bite the tip of éclair and cause distaste (8)
11	Expert cricketer meets presser without resistance to become an apprentice (11)
14	The nobleman, with a British civil award, exhibits a body part (7)
15	The external parasites are seen from Ecuador to South Africa with love (7)
17	Headless corpse, small to start with, faces reversed assent for a long journey (7)
18	The nervous new player goes to the meeting (7)
20	Cautious umpires cunning to start with, riot about century, go to vacant court (11)
24	Unhappy autumn causes loss of status (8)
25	The thug returns, that is to get a hard rub by the knuckles on head (6)
26	You and I at that woman’s ceiling construction have power for giving protection from wind and rain (15)

---

Down

2	Chasing proteges subsequently (10)
3	Strangely immolates body to start with, getting chemical reactions in the body (10)
4	The old wire around it is responsive to stimulant (9)
5	The action of replacing son with daughter in the payment demanded for the release of the captive, is unplanned (6)
6	Remove from consideration by leaving out Chlorine for discharge (5)
7	Born prince to start with, turned into a vegetable (4)
8	A short Saturday engagement to begin with, to satisfy completely (4)
12	Impervious to noise is what a judge hopes for (5,5)
13	Modification is to change every left to right in what one gathered (10)
16	An incomplete ring followed by a chap and firm bring about this glossy woollen cloth (9)
19	Doctor helps conservative initially to carry (6)
21	The picture that is covering a short periodical (5)
22	The unknown on a single region (4)
23	Strike back heavily and get into a tangle (4)

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3195, Sunday 27 Mar 2022

ACROSS

1   Commonplace kind of crossing? (10) PEDESTRIAN [DD]

6   Old tribesman regularly used lion's claw (4) INCA {lIoNs+ClAw}

9   Turnips! I am displaying austerity (10) PURITANISM*

10 Hands back in exchange (4) SWAP<=

11 Apportion old rule encountering demonstrator and streakers (6,6) METEOR SHOWER {METE}{O}{R}{SHOWER}

15 Soil, grit mostly mixed for platforms (3,4) OIL RIGS {SOIL+GRIt}*

16 At first, soldiers and meditators; ultimately, rulers – awfully intense! (7) SAMURAI Acrostic Semi&lit

17 Flipping artificial intelligence to arrest gangster leading Balkan state (7) ALBANIA {AI}{NAB}<= after {AL}

19 Food options hotel bar detailed for musician (7) MENUHIN {MENU}{H}{INn}

20 Key vehicle pulling another in part of airport (7,5) CONTROL TOWER {CONTROL}{TOWER}

23 Takeaway where French is spoken (4) TOGO {TO}{GO} 

24 Still, that's how a very brief debate is? (10) MOTIONLESS {MOTION LESS}

25 Auditor's opposed to advance payment (4) ANTE (~anti)

26 Give speech to drinkers, depicting what's often included in tab (7,3) ADDRESS BAR {ADDRESS}{BAR}

DOWN

1   Everyman engaged in second clarifying remark in tweets (4) PIPS {P{I}PS}

2   One creating stain, we're told, is dreadful (4) DIRE (~ dyer)

3   Who creates backdrops representing singed trees? (3,8) SET DESIGNER*

4   They smuggle strips of carpet (7) RUNNERS [DD}

5   Adult, tension rising, swears (7) ASSERTS {A}{STRESS<=}

7   Why we snort dubiously is significant (10) NEWSWORTHY*

8   Poisonous creature's hosting 'topless' version: slander! (10) ASPERSIONS {ASP{vERSION}S}

12 Shun big name, resolving to see people in general (5,6) HUMAN BEINGS*

13 Peculiar avocations in Canadian province (4,6) NOVA SCOTIA*

14 Questionable, seeing military demonstration when it's dark (3-2-5) FLY-BY-NIGHT {FLY-BY}{NIGHT}

18 A Lord Lieutenant, elderly, taking time taking everything in (3,4) ALL TOLD {A}{L}{L}{OLD} over {T}

19 Less cheerful: French sea swallows specs, swim cut short (7) MOODIER {M{OO}{DIp}ER}

21 Perhaps Basil's tucked into feather bed (4) HERB [T]

22 Powerful person in sports arena (4) TSAR [T]

Reference List

Old = O, Rule = R, Gangster = AL, Hotel = H, Adult = A, Lord Lieutenant = LL, Time = T, Sea in French = MER, Specs = OO

No 13514, Saturday 26 Mar 2022, Arden

ACROSS

1   Switching red lights on for a book title (4,2,3,5) LORD OF THE RINGS*

10 Biblical character very eager to pursue maiden (5) MAGOG {AGOG}<=>{M}

11 Be secular — anyway it’s the French, dammit! (5,4) SACRE BLEU*

12 Float in a river, one is hired by the army (7) DRAFTEE {D{RAFT}EE}

13 Fainted now, does become shaky (7) SWOONED*

14 Tax the thing inside (5) TITHE {T{IT}HE}

16 At home return it in line, that’s honesty (9) INTEGRITY {IN}{GET<=}{R{IT}Y} Return=Get back

19 Gabriel perhaps accepted a coin in both hands (9) ARCHANGEL {A}{R}{CHANGE}{L}

20 One last call from the middle — how does it sound? (5) NASAL {oNe}{lASt}{cALl}

22 Partners getting on peak again and again (7) NONSTOP {N}{ON}{S}{TOP}

25 Imbricate close friend to return (7) OVERLAP {OVER}{PAL<=}

27 Frigid but strangely not closed... (5-4) STONE-COLD*

28 ... not completely closed, it touches the same thing again (5) DITTO [T]

29 Prosit! Crossword fast to disappear inside a piece of furniture (5,2,7) CHEST OF DRAWERS {CHEERS} over {WORD+FAST}*

DOWN

2   Wild love making is tragic... (9) ORGIASTIC {0}{IS+TRAGIC}*

3   ... like sex could be from 0 to 9 (5) DIGIT {DIG}{IT}

4   Clasp quickly before 9 is lifted by gravity (9) FASTENING {FAST}{NINE<=}{G}

5   Hired cabs for reporters (5) HACKS [DD]

6   Instrument — one Gerard played (4,5) REED ORGAN*

7   “Material is not even yellow”— breaking news! (5) NYLON {N}{YeLlOw}{N}

8   Stupendously difficult to leave set up completely (7) SOUNDLY stupeNDOUSLY*

9   Barring uniform it’s a must to carry papers, among others (6) AMIDST {A}{M{ID}uST}

15 Do people in a hospital wing, get endorsement? (9) ENACTMENT {EN{ACT}{MEN}T}

17 Maybe later embrace God, not an easy thing to do (4,5) TALL ORDER {TAL{LORD}ER*}

18 Abuse or drink a glass, for example (9) INSULATOR {INSUL{A}T}{OR}

19 Cinemas playing “the absent minded...” (7) AMNESIC*

21 Reportedly jumped on a small amount of money (6) LEPTON (~leapt){LEPT}{ON}

23 It sniffs nothing inside the loop (5) NOOSE {NO{0}SE}

24 Confirmation for soft heart (5) PROOF {PRO}{sOFt}

26 Even when down and out, some of it you can give away (5) ENDOW [T]

Reference List

Maiden = M, Float = RAFT, Line = RY(Railway), Hands = R,L, Partners = N,S(In Bridge game), Love = 0, Sex = IT, Gravity = G, New = N, Uniform = U< Papers = ID, Hospital wing = ENT, Nothing = 0, Even = E

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

No 13513, Friday 25 Mar 2022, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS 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   Love income to play (7) COMPETE {COM{PET}E}

5   Arrow or row? (7) QUARREL [DD]

9   “Place to dry out” — she reviews a book (5) REHAB {HER<=}{A}{B}

10 Premier lab in Asia making more of this chemical (9) ELASTOMER {E{Lab}AST{MORE*}

11 For fair value, get Tesla in Texas (4,5) FORT WORTH {FOR}{T}{WORTH}

12 Exercise without consent — he gets the money (5) PAYEE {P{AYE}E}

13 Capital is restricted as part of affirmative action (4) OSLO gOSLOw

15 Fake bill’s self introduction (8) IMPOSTER {I'M POSTER}

18 Doesn’t normally react to fancy ringtone (8) NITROGEN*

19 Spy won’t try popular search engine (4) OGLE goOGLE

22 Hang decapitated fish (5) ANGLE dANGLE

24 Enter after some time if you're one (4-5) LATE-COMER {LATE{COME}R} &lit

26 Writer’s objective to suppress inner drive, somehow (4,5) GORE VIDAL {GO{DRIVE*}AL}

27 Problem is with the girl... (5) ISSUE {IS}{SUE}

28 ... tramples over kin (7) STEPSON {STEPS}{ON}

29 Royal grant — takes a leaf out of one (7) APANAGE {A}{P{AN}AGE}

DOWN

1   Container for holding a service in church (6) CARAFE {C{A}{RAF}E}

2   Shariah interpreted in a way by a holy man (9) MAHARISHI {M{SHARIAH*}1}

3   Half-hearted shake up at the joint (5) ELBOW WOBbLE<=

4   Future of pedagogy in general will be transformed (1-8) E-LEARNING*

5   End of game — seconds lost (5) QUASH sQUASH

6   Course not for history only (9) ANTIPASTO {ANTI}{PAST}{O}

7   Strange game (5) RUMMY [DD]

8   I almost got in between sides where fat is accumulated (6) LARDER {L}{ARDEn}{R}

14 Resolve us, resolve us (9) OURSELVES*

16 Smoke with one stuck in the bone (9) PANATELLA {P{AN}ATELLA}

17 Complaint raised — one that is without braces (9) ECLAMPSIA {A}{I{CLAMPS}E}<=

20 Hordes hoarding last of jasmine flower (6) GANGES {GANG{j...nE}S}

21 Heard of movie land? (6) GREECE (~grease)

23 Last of morning rose, exotic plant (5) GORSE {m...nG}{ROSE*}

24 Bin is stuffed (5) LADEN [DD]

25 Church evacuated in a country (5) CHINA {Ch..cH}{IN}{A}

Reference List

Book = B, Tesla = T, Exercise = PE, Service = RAF(Royal Air Force), Church = CE, Way = M1, Seconds = S, Only = O 

No 13512, Thursday 24 Mar 2022, Arden

Solution to 12A 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.

ACROSS

1   They keep spectators extremely busy, one is ready (6,2) STANDS BY {STANDS}{BusY}

5   Ease to cut through, daughter ran away (6) ELOPED {E{LOP}E}{D}

10 Hope he goes — question is, does he object? (7) OPPOSER {hOPe}{POSER}

11 Learn about second admission from hospital helper (7) ALMONER {AL{MO}NER*}

12 Way to check a game and mate (5) A?I?O (Addendum - AMIGO {A}{M1}{GO} - See comments))

13 Frank Sinatra protected a maiden, he was kind hearted (9) SAMARITAN {S{A}{M}ARITAN*}

14 For money links accept one of those with deep knowledge (12) PROFUNDITIES {PRO}{FUND}{1}{TIES}

18 Men only event essentially, and game finetuned to one’s advantage (5-7) STAGE-MANAGED {STAG}{evEnt}{AND+GAME}*

21 Nude characters without clothes (9) UNDRESSED {UN{DRESS}ED*} &lit

23 Vessel had port stay in between all this (5) AORTA {hAd+pORt+sTAy}

24 Chinese city depending on new leader to go for billions (7) NANKING {-b+n)NANKING

25 Separate taxi — perhaps is able to follow, See? (7) VATICAN VATI{CAN}Anno not clear (Addendum - {VAT}{I}{CAN} - See comments)

26 The oil used to make ancient stone tool (6) EOLITH*

27 Green light to summon the King, head of clan comes first (3-5) ALL-CLEAR {(-c)ALL(+c)C}{LEAR}

DOWN

1   Tag line: “Poles have shifted goal” (6) SLOGAN {S}{GOAL*}{N}

2   She babysits, gets Paul undressed by two (2,4) AU PAIR {pAUl}{PAIR}

3   Music and dance sure to follow dialogue (9) DISCOURSE {DISCO}{SURE*}

4   Forbids unorthodox movement of nomads (5,2,7) BIRDS OF PASSAGE {FORBIDS}* [RA] (Addendum - {FORBIDS*}{PASSAGE} - See comments)

6   Primate putting hands around a bird (5) LEMUR {L}{EMU}{R}

7   You won’t see any pilot sporting this hairdo (8) PONYTAIL*

8   Hector sends boat in the night (8) DARKNESS {D{ARK}NESS*}

9   Fantastic stamina, one lived up to be a carnivore (9,5) TASMANIAN DEVIL {STAMINA}*{AN}{LIVED<=}

15 Building castle in air, losing cover, being too rigid (9) INELASTIC {CASTLE+IN+aIr}*

16 Can freely emerge outside with this act of making things available (8) ISSUANCE {ISSU{CAN*}E}

17 He was perhaps clad in a robe, initially (8) CARDINAL {CLAD+IN+Robe}*

19 Nothing clear about the voice (6) ORACLE {0}{CLEAR*}

20 One to stop or help get publicity... (6) BANNER [DD]

22 ... no publicity to divine rule (5) EDICT prEDICT

Reference List

Ease = E,E, Daughter = D, Way = M1, Game = GO, Second = MO, Maiden = M, Billions = B, Tax = VAT,  Poles = N,S, Hands = L,R, Publicity = PR

No 13511, Wednesday 23 Mar 2022, Incognito

Solution to 19A 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.

ACROSS

8   Liberate at no cost (4) FREE [DD]

9   Many after girl’s spirit (5) GHOST {HOST}<=>{G}

10 Strangely, prosecutor loses corpse... results in total defeat (4) ROUT prosecUTOR*

11 Hot spice is cold, I hear (6) CHILLI (~chilly)

12 Use belly dancing in area in centre of Target (5,3) BULLS EYE*

13 Alumni’s only note's not in use (8) OBSOLETE {OB}{SOLE}{TE}

15 Poor going back in empty tanks for soldiers (6) TROOPS {Tan{POOR<=}kS}

17 Silly princess sent back ten thousand iconic coins initially (7) IDIOTIC {DI<=}{10}{Th...d}{Ic...c}{Co..s}

19 Fights company with flying creatures (7) ?O?B?T? (Addendum - COMBATS {COM}{BATS} - See comments)

22 Finally stood behind damaged pines and shot from cover (6) SNIPED {s..oD}<=>{PINES}*

24 Extraordinary Dane king’s working moist flour to make dough (8) KNEADING*

26 Funnily, daily sex may lead to this condition (8) DYSLEXIA* Really!!!

28 OK, pate is manufactured in American city (6) TOPEKA*

30 Roman onion is peeled thrice in a short time (4) ANON {romAN+ONion}

31 To some extent, perhaps, an assassin in Japan (5) NINJA [T] &lit

32 Wets rejected food (4) STEW<=

DOWN

1   At first, Anglican renaissance church has curved supporting structure (4) ARCH Acrostic

2   Rich dwell too differently (4-2-2) WELL-TO-DO*

3   Fire crazy foreign minister releasing informers (6) IGNITE {foreiGn+mINIsTEr}*

4   Romeo designed blouse for some money (7) ROUBLES {R}{BLOUSE*}

5   Test pilot flying without initial permission gets stabbing weapon (8) STILETTO {TEST+pILOT}*

6   Criminal forces painting on wall (6) FRESCO*

7   School and university Modi and Yogi initially built in city (4) SUMY {S}{U}{Modi}{Yogi}

14 Offer nurse for POTUS saying, “First Lady’s husband...” (5) BIDEN {BID}{EN}

16 Introduce president (5) PUTIN {PUT IN}

18 Arranging fancy dining, including old flame (8) IINDEXING {IND{EX}ING*}

20 American friend with animal on street in capital (8) BUDAPEST {BUD}{APE}{ST}

21 Extraordinary nuke absorbs horrible air in country (7) UKRAINE {UK{AIR*}NE*}

23 The French surrounded by water body in country (6) POLAND {PO{LA}ND}

25 Old star arranged special editions of newspaper (6) EXTRAS {EX}{STAR*}

27 Pull American jerk’s wrench? (4) YANK [MD]

29 After Alec’s missing, sick leave arranged in city (4) KIEV {sIcK+leaVE}*

Reference List

Girl = G, Alumni = OB(Old boy), Note = TE, Princess = DI, Company = COM, Romeo = R, School = S, University = U, Nurse = EN(Enrolled nurse), Old flame = EX, The in French = LA 

No 13510, Tuesday 22 Mar 2022, Incognito

Solution to 10A 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.

ACROSS

7   Quickly stop eating food (4) FAST [DD]

8   Mix gin and tonic, with love, for me (9) INCOGNITO  {GIN+TONIC}*{0}

10 Behind partition, alien makes container to keep money (6) ?A?L?T (Addendum - WALLET {WALL}{ET} - See comments)

11 Evict diver (5,3) DRIVE OUT {DIVER}* [RA]

12 Extraordinarily alter gem to make wire (8) TELEGRAM*

14 Yankee leaves slaughtered turkeys for mature elephant (6) TUSKER {TURKEyS}*

16 After tea, throw ring in vexation (7) CHAGRIN {CHA}{RING*}

18 At zero cost, Zulu queen gets space for cold storage (7) FREEZER {FREE}{Z}{ER}

21 Newly married ladies travel in empty bus (6) BRIDES {Bu{RIDE}S}

23 Period required to supply die metal design (4,4) LEAD TIME*

25 Got some quantity of paper in Air Corps depot initially (8) ACQUIRED {Air}{Co..s}{QUIRE}{De..t}

27 Pet vehicle is in front of eastern ship (6) CARESS {CAR}{E}{SS}

29 Ship red oyster soup (9) DESTROYER*

30 Old attorney general’s edition (4) AGED {AG}{ED}

DOWN

1   A Zionist leader in Tehran wanders in biblical place (8) NAZARETH {N{A}{Zi...t}ARETH*}

2   Basque organisation student and others (2,2) ET AL {ETA}{L}

3   Wrongly resist word used to address nurse or nun (6) SISTER*

4   A rotter is with sweetheart at setter's educational institution (7) ACADEMY {A}{CAD}{swEet}{MY}

5   Shining silver pieces strewn around (8) AGLITTER {AG}{LITTER}

6   Chop spotted cubes? (4) DICE [DD]

9   Love to go wander around university for getting flower part (5) OVULE {OV{U}LE*}

13 Urged English editor to include a couple of girls (5) EGGED {E}{GG}ED}

15 Sugary little thing kept in empty slot (5) SWEET {S{WEE}loT}

17 Purveyors of financial security? Certainly covered in Indian rupees (8) INSURERS {IN}{SURE}{RS}

19 Seen hems transformed into nets? (8) ENMESHES*

20 Gee! Lady may give appreciative look (4,3) GLAD EYE*

22 Ran and practised avoiding horrible pits (5) RACED pRACtisED

24 Air-conditioning cable contract (6) ACCORD {AC}{CORD}

26 Secret police in old place in the Soviet Union (4) USSR {U{SS}R}

28 Harvest rotten pea after middle of March (4) REAP {PEA}*<=>{maRch}

Reference List

Alien = ET, Love = 0, Yankee = Y, Zulu = Z, Queen = ER, Eastern = E, Ship = SS, Edition = ED,  Student = L, University = U, English = E, Editor = ED, Girl = G, Indian = IN, Secret police = SS, Old place = UR 

No 13509, Monday 21 Mar 2022, Incognito

Solution to 17A 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.

ACROSS

8   Excitedly screamed, “Parts of arms are missing!” Give up? (4) CEDE sCrEamED*

9   Court seizes Royal Air Force vehicle (5) CRAFT {C{RAF}T}

10 Col.’s authorisation to go (4) PASS [DD]

11 Damaged panel missing during reconstruction of planetarium lobby (6) ATRIUM planeTARIUM*

12 Pa barked “Destroyed part of vehicle wheel” (5,3) BRAKE PAD*

13 Echo, “Wrong marker is used in redesigning Nanjing (except its central part) and taking over” (8) ANNEXING {E}{X} in {NANjING}*

15 Knock out actor from Roman Holiday and get a coin (6) KOPECK {KO}{PECK}

17 Unfavourable jingle? (7) ?D?E?S? (Addendum - ADVERSE {AD VERSE} - See comments)

19 Song about males in country (7) ARMENIA {AR{MEN}IA}

22 Austere fruit girl doesn’t have it (6) FRUGAL {FRUit}{GAL}

24 Spaniel runs around carrying a bit of fabric for period between birth and death (8) LIFESPAN {LI{Fa..c}ESPAN}

26 Grumman F6F’s model coated in shellac compound (8) HELLCATS {HELLCA{T}S*}

28 After removing damaged belt, clumsily lubricates old flier (6) ICARUS {lUbRICAteS}*

30 Church stores silver in enclosure (4) CAGE {C{AG}E}

31 This note can be fatal (1,4) A FLAT*

32 Bird in Northern estuary (4) ERNE [T]

DOWN

1   32’s home in Northern estuary (4) NEST [T]

2   Chinese capitalists seek pine by mistake (8) PEKINESE*

3   Novel CIS map showing small lobsters (6) SCAMPI*

4   Refuse boy residing in shed (7) GARBAGE {GAR{B}AGE}

5   Tart cake prepared for assailant (8) ATTACKER*

6   State, “Look backwards and repair” (6) UPKEEP {UP}{PEEK<=}

7   Large landmass in possession of sanyasi/ascetic (4) ASIA [T]

14 Lowest level drain rebuilt (5) NADIR*

16 Perhaps, feature a country (5) CHINA {CHIN}{A}

18 Alas! Nuts are crushed for queens (8) SULTANAS*

20 Trapped a deer running around new poles (8) ENSNARED {A+DEER}* over {N}{SN}

21 Marine raconteur dated before last fling (3,4) OLD SALT {OLD}{LAST*}

23 Romeo left spectators seating area for kitchen on-board ship (6) GALLEY GALLErY

25 Perhaps rocks fluid tins wildly (6) FLINTS {FL}{TINS*}

27 Test retired Air Marshal (4) EXAM {EX}{AM}

29 Injured laundress drops garment to show bone (4) ULNA LAUNdress*

Reference List

Court = CT, Echo = E, Knock out = KO, Model = T, Church = CE, Boy = B, New = N, Poles = S,N, Romeo = R, Fluid = FL, Air Marshal = AM