The Sunday Crossword No 3292, Sunday 04 Feb 2023

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS

1   Wild excitations and thrills (11) INTOXICATES*

9   Slice of Kashmiri cottage cheese (7) RICOTTA [T]

10 After November, say, one's eaten more crackers (7) NUTTIER {N}{UTT{1}ER}

11 Nick wanting direction, disheartened, embracing Conservatives' leader (5) NOTCH {NOrTH} over {Co...s}

12 Make music, sad and quiet (4,4) PIPE DOWN {PIPE}{DOWN}

14 Record me in retreat: 'One denies responsibility' (10) DISCLAIMER {DISC}{LAI{ME}R}

15 It's a flipping sparkling wine (4) ASTI<=

17 Compulsion to cleanse failing to start (4) URGE pURGE

19 In advance, rustling up salad of rock pigeon (10) PRECOOKING*

21 Poignant, timeless article describing female relative (8) HAUNTING {tH{AUNT}ING}

23 King and queen on a Swedish coin (5) KRONA {K}{R}{ON}{A}

25 Opera's musicians including Dutch thinker (7) ERASMUS [T]

26 Boiling fruit for exciting social engagement (3,4) HOT DATE {HOT}{DATE}

27 Fiancé and messy bosun bathed (7-2-2) HUSBAND-TO-BE*

DOWN

1   Prompts marksmen to find targets here, did you say? (7) INCITES (~in sights)

2   Vietnamese festival that starts year offspring mostly accepted in irritable fashion (8) TETCHILY {TET}{Year} over {CHILd}

3   Medical procedure that follows whiskey? (1-3) X-RAY [DD]

4   Secret kind of trick (10) CONFIDENCE [DD}

5   Sound of disapproval twice at the outset, Everyman's one to be taught a lesson (5) TUTEE {TUT}{Ev...n}{Ev...n}

6   Old rakes initially wearing smart clothes: they're after wives (7) SUITORS {SUIT{O}{Rake}S}

7   Female relative, imperious, departs; merriment stifled at first (13) GRANDDAUGHTER {GRAND}{D}{lAUGHTER}

8   Source of refreshment befuddled king and writer (8,5) DRINKING WATER*

13 In a Nissan, the writer's on island somewhere in S Pacific (10) MICRONESIA {MICR{ONES}{I}A} It is in the Northwest Pacific?

16 Time for quiet: pet dog becomes talking animal (8) COCKATOO COCKA(-p+t)TOO

18 Grand old university buffet offering Hungarian stew (7) GOULASH {G}{O}{U}{LASH}

20 Pick out one very good behind (7) ISOLATE {1}{SO}{LATE}

22 Newspaper X (5) TIMES [DD]

24 Country. Habitable ...? African desert, primarily! (4) CHAD Acrostic &lit

Reference List

November = N, Time = T, King = K, Queen = R, Old =O, Departs = D, Quiet = P, Grand =G, University = U