No 14374, Saturday 04 Jan 2025, Saral

 ACROSS
8   Appeared on screen initially in small roles (6) CAMEOS {CAME}{On}{Screen}
9   Postponement of agreement containing note with mistake (8) DEFERRAL {DE{F}{ERR}AL}
11 Broadcast a TV series that's bold (9) ASSERTIVE*
12 No bar in paper publication (5) ISSUE {tISSUE}
13 Ordering abridged dictionary and guide (9) INDICATOR {DICTIONARy}*
16 Fool's ego putting one in spot (5) IDIOT {I}{D{1}OT}
17 First show of navy fleet in river (7) NARMADA {Navy}{ARMADA}
19 Thinks and responds almost randomly (7) PONDERS {RESPONDs}*
21 Time to replace conservative guy in board (5) TABLE {{+T-c}ABLE}
22 Cook entering, devouring a fruit (9) TANGERINE {ENTERING* over A}

24 Follow guard right away (5) ENSUE {ENSUrE}
25 Baker prepared quick meal (9) BREAKFAST {BAKER*}{FAST}
27 Ruling party's minister against worker (8) DOMINANT {DO}{MIN}{ANT}
28 Shooting star in Rome dancing around hollow tree (6) METEOR {ROME* around TreE}

DOWN
1   Accountants welcomed by number one firm turning up for party (8) OCCASION {CAS} in {{NO}{I}+CO}<
2   Am old to get engaged (6) AMUSED {AM}{USED}
3   Railing broken by old pig (4) BOAR {B{O}AR}
4   Viral image of two setters (4) MEME {ME}{ME}
5   Strength of Indian involved in peace (10) RESELIENCE {RE}{SIL{I}ENCE}
6   Status of tigers perhaps captured in upcoming record (8) PRESTIGE {TIGERS* in EP<}
7   Consumer court protecting legal right (6) CLIENT {C{LIEN}T}
10 Entertain director at institute heading second sermon (8) DISTRACT {D}{I}{S}{TRACT}
14 Lizards spoiling clean homes? (10) CHAMELEONS*

15 Rued crushing tender pimple at the edges (8) REPENTED {PimplE} in {TENDER*}
18 Cell organ, rare that is covering chest (8) RIBOSOME {R}{I{BOSOM}E}

20 Lieutenant guarded by out and out special securities (8) SHELTERS {SHE{LT}ER}{S}
21 Stylish diva starting to check entry, frantically (6) TRENDY {Diva} in {ENTRY*}
23 Pictures of international games developed (6) IMAGES {I}{GAMES*}
25 Track down boy taking fellow to force (4) BIND {{+B-f}IND}
26 Stay// in// castle (4) KEEP {DD}

REFERENCE LIST

Note=F, Bar=T, Ego=I, One=I, Time=T, Conservative=C, Right=R, Minister=Min, (Chartered) Accountant=CA, Old=O, Of=Re, Setter=Me, Indian=I, Record=EP, Court=Ct, Director=D, Institute=I, Second=S, Rare=R, That is=i.e., Lieutenant=Lt, International=I, Boy=B, Fellow=F.

No 14373, Friday 03 Jan 2025, Pixie Dust

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.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

7   Material stuff a bricklayer conceals (6) FABRIC [T]

8   Stubborn, he will live... Nut case! (4-4) HELL-BENT {HE'LL}{BE}{NuT}

9   Wary fear about a traveller (8) WAYFARER*

10 Jump in well! (6) SPRING [DD]

11 Indore's chief detective cracks domestic's murder (8) HOMICIDE {HOM{In...e}{CID}E}

12 Annual party's ending too soon (6) YEARLY {p..tY}{EARLY}

13 According to the Reverend, Norse God defied providence (11) FORETHOUGHT (~thor fought to forethought)

18 Settle father near town (part of the city of Dakar, in Senegal) (6) PAYOFF {PA}{YOFF}

20 Fondness for Achilles' heel? (4,4) SOFT SPOT [DD]

22 Consistently pick up leaders from aggressive, loyal, wise and young senators (6) ALWAYS Acrostic

23 Public letters from Gopal, a No.1 tantrist from the east (8) NATIONAL [T<=]

24 Reject worth? (5,3) THROW OUT {WORTH}* [RA]

25 Ouphe and Llyr ignored regularly for all to see (6) OPENLY {OuPhE+aNd+LlYr}

DOWN

1  Register about time and goal mismanagement (7) CATALOG {CA}{T}{GOAL*}

2   Say, Steffi's able to love a drawing on the wall? (8) GRAFFITO {GRAF}{FIT}{O}

3   Duty doctor surprisingly missed date with chief internist (6) OCTROI {dOCTOR}*{In...t}

4   Broadcast so bluesy! Thank you very much! (5,3) BLESS YOU*

5   Peninsula misses small region in Russia (6) IBERIA sIBERIA

6   Foolishly independent, a Spaniard is swallowed by city (7) INANELY  {I}{N{AN}{EL}Y}

8   Eccentric hot nurse hugs trunk of a flowering tree (5,8) HORSE CHESTNUT {HOT+NURSE}* over {CHEST}

14 Issue from leaders of European Football Union (8) EFFUSION {Eu...n}{Fo..l}{FUSION}

15 That man's notes about simple proteins (8) HISTONES {HIS}{NOTES*}

16 Record beginnings of harsh, odious cry from a huntsman (5-2) TALLY-HO {TALLY}{Ha..h}{Od...s}

17 Baby pool? One hundred percent! (7) TOTALLY {TOT}{ALLY}

19 Letters from Mayor! A Tory spokesperson? (6) ORATOR [T]

21 See, fellow bit wrapped piece of hamburger (6) FATHOM {F}{AT{Ha...r}OM}

Reference List

About = CA, Time = T, Date = D, Small = S, Spaniard = EL, Fellow = F

No 14372, Thursday 02 Jan 2025, Karaoke

Solution to 1D 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 solve, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

9   The spirit - film cut short after censor (7) BANSHEE {SHEEt}<=>{BAN}

10 Learner wearing smiley embarrassingly, it indicates admission of oversight (5,2) SILLY ME {L} in {SMILEY}*

11 Moderate rent increase (3-2) LET-UP {LET}{UP}

12 Honey, we never set out without valet at first (9) SWEETENER {WE+NEvER+SET}*

13 Proverbially, union members do this without thinking... (5,2,5) MARRY IN HASTE [CD]

16 ...and feel sorry for a long time when they are free (6,2,7) REPENT AT LEISURE [CD]

19 ...It's natural for people to make mistakes and perhaps ruin others name essentially (2,3,2,5) TO ERR IS HUMAN {RUIN+OTHERS+nAMe}

24 He sells papers and latest books featuring Mahatma (9) NEWSAGENT {NEW}{SAGE}{NT}

25 He comes back to endorse art world (5) EARTH {H{ART}E<=}

26 Resembling a slippery character, eleven occasionally go around to shoot revolutionary (3-4) EEL-LIKE {ElEvEn} over {KILL<=}

27 One in love affair primarily is working in communication channel (7) LIAISON {Love}{1}{Af...r}{IS}{ON}

DOWN

1   Fatal disease of middle ear part showing up (5) ?B?L? 

2   Trouble brewing up for affiliates (5) KNITS<=

3   Clergyman takes drink at flat (8) CHAPLAIN {CHA}{PLAIN}

4  I am told old man's spring occasionally spouts hot water (6) GEYSER (~geezer)

5   Ice on the ebb in the backdrop is unusual! (8) ESPECIAL {ESP{ICE<=}AL<=}

6   Problem of girl ends with burning (6) GLITCH {GirL}{ITCH}

7   Amusing? My bad! It's a place for workout (9) GYMNASIUM*

8   Extremely venturesome terrier, trained to find and fetch game for hunter (9) RETRIEVER {Ve...mE+TERRIER}* Semi&lit

14 One who stakes claim to the throne makes advance submission (9) PRETENDER {PRE-TENDER}

15 "Veronica, cigarette time" Spooner says (9) SPEEDWELL (~weed spell to speedwell)

17 Served Rwandese in distress (8) ANSWERED*

18 It is likely that misplaced diary listed namesakes at the centre (1,4,3) I DARE SAY {DIARY}* over {namESAkes}

20 He works for band touring extremely around Rio with friends heartily (6) ROADIE {Ar..nD+RIO}*{friEnds}

21 Inconceivable. Couldn't start off miserably! (6) UNTOLD cOULDNT*

22 Seize auditor's balance (5) WREST (~rest)

23 Country's cups and saucers (5) CHINA [DD]

Reference List

Learner = L, Books = NT(New Testament)

No 14371, Wednesday 01 Jan 2025, Gussalufz

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

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 solve, if not solved by 1 PM.

CH-CH

ACROSS

1   Without talent? Fudge it creatively, embracing a bit of nepotism (8) UNGIFTED {FUDGE+IT}* over {Ne...m}

5   Hamper efforts, ultimately disrupting fire platoon, essentially (6) BASKET {BA{e...tS}KE}{plaToon}

9   Church messengers short of fifty conversions (7) CHANGES {CH}{ANGElS}

10 Win trick with two queens (7) CONQUER {CON}{QU}{ER}

11 Even more mature file discovered (5) OLDER fOLDER

12 King's chasing speculation largely implicating wife for everything (3,5) THE WORKS {K'S}<=>{THEORy} over {W}

13 According to Gussalufz, love died. (6) PERIOD {PER}{I}{O}{D}

14 Performer returns with cape in a desire to advance (8) AVIDNESS {DIVA<=}{NESS}

18 Commercial-free additional broadcast expansion (8) DILATION adDITIONAL*

20 Afraid to leave following reprimand (6) EARFUL fEARFUL

23 Regularly find details, issues to think of (8) IDEALISE {fInD+dEtAiLs+IsSuEs}

25 Wow, Shakespearean tragedy after overtime! (5) HELLO otHELLO

27 Spread a falsehood about page's daughter (7) APPLIED {A}{P}{P}{LIE}{D}

28 Forest ranger has rum (7) STRANGE [T]

29 Old puzzle lying around? Save the last third for flight (6) EXODUS {EX}{SUDOku<=}

30 Peasants polished poetic pieces (8) ANAPESTS*

DOWN

1   Lacking cultivation? Produce dramatically after adding nitrogen and phosphorus (9) UNCROPPED {PRODUCE+N+P}*

2   More splendid runs after score crosses a large number (7) G?A?D?R (Addendum - GRANDER {R}<=>{GRA{N}DE} - See comments)

3   Discover fruit and nut bar wrapper on abandoned route (6,3) FIGURE OUT {FIG}{nUt}{ROUTE*}

4   Substitute teacher's at Zoom gathering (6) ERSATZ [T]

6   Pregnancy test? No, I am irregular (5) AMNIO*

7   After scrubbing soy meal, corroded key unlocks joint (7) KNUCKLE {KEy+UNLoCKs}*

8   Revolution of planet overlooking southern area (4) TURN saTURN

10 Divorce of uncle averted (6) CLEAVE [T]

15 Dilapidated pad carrying dire threat? (9) DEATHTRAP {D{THREAT*}AP*} Semi&lit

16 Rotten man stole small young fish (9) SALMONETS {MAN+STOLE}*{S}

17 Impersonated policeman, covering makeshift bomb (6) COPIED {COP}{IED}

19 Happened before Pluto crashed over the middle of Sweden? (3,2,2) LED UP TO {PLUTO}* over {swEDen}

21 Cats loudly turning gaga (7) FELINES {F}{SENILE<=}

22 Compose a sonnet describing spring, perhaps (6) SEASON [T]

24 One gets to finish university later (5) ADIEU {A}{DIE}{U}

26 Meet in coffee house, exchanging bits from classified files (4) FACE (-c+F)FA(-f+c)CE

Reference List

Church = CH, Fifty = L, Queens = QU,ER, King = K, Wife = W, Died = D, Commercial = AD, Following = F, Overtime = OT, Page = P, Daughter = D, Southern = S, Area = A, Small = S, Loudly = F, University = U