No 14501, Tuesday 03 Jun 2025, VMA Nair

Welcome to our new THC setter. Bouquets and brickbats welcome.

Solution to 17D 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

1   Reason to leave India for Spain after retirement? End of democracy is not far away (6) NEARBY {BRA(-i+e)EN<=}{d...cY}

4   Kids needing meal, primarily, to break resistance against key mineral (4,4) ROCK SALT {(-m)OCKS} in {R}{ALT}

9   Terribly sorry about a series of prayers (6) ROSARY {SORRY}* over {A}

10 Stalk daughter and mother's brother after exercise (8) PEDUNCLE {D}{UNCLE}<=>{PE}

12 Landed in Ghana, welcomed by a drunk editor (8) ALIGHTED {A}{LI{GH}T}{ED}

13 Housemaid in southern Kentucky receives intravenous antiviral, essentially (6) SKIVVY {S}{K{IV}{a..iVi..l}

15 Look, a dress inappropriately worn by honest employee of insurance company (4,8) LOSS ADJUSTER {LO}{A+DRESS}* over {JUST}

18 Almost obvious kid misses small binoculars used in theatres (5,7) OPERA GLASSES {OPEn}{RAG}{LASSES}

21 Permission to move Armstrong to front line for public exam (1,5) A LEVEL {(+a)LE(-a)VE}{L}

22 Say stupid lies about chaps very noisily at first for a small amount (8) SMIDGEON {EG+DIM<=} in {SO}{No...y}

24 Give permission to block road for gambling game (8) ROULETTE {ROU{LET}TE}

25 Sacrifice from vicar Timothy (6) VICTIM {VIC}{TIM}

26 Kid heartlessly pounding rotating object - object found in a laboratory (4,4) TEST TUBE {TEaSE} over {BUTT<=}

27 Proposal to hire experienced staff in schools for starters (6) THESIS Acrostic

DOWN

1   Agree to spend 500 million in March as usual (8) NORMALLY {NOd}{R{M}ALLY}

2   Coordinate basic works before Charlie returns (8) ABSCISSA {BASIC}*{ASS<=}

3   Brad Pitt heartily accepts Henry's unusual annual gift (8,7) BIRTHDAY PRESENT {BRAD+PITT+accEpts+HENRYS}*

5   Extra fan has no regulator at the centre (4) OVER lOVER

6   Punch, hit and kick uncle's wife hard (7,8) KNUCKLE SANDWICH {AND+KICK+UNCLES+W+H}*

7   Vocal about closure of storage compartment (6) ALCOVE {VOCAL}*{s...gE}

8   Technique for colouring garment (type of shirt) that is long, say (3-3) TIE-DYE {T}{IE}{(~die)DYE}

11 False statement given by judge in a frenzy, having no lead (7) PERJURY {PER}{J}{fURY}

14 I may go bonkers over suggestion of sex as a method of reproduction (7) ISOGAMY {I+MAY+GO}* over {Sex}

16 Mineral of arsenic - finest and very large (8) ASBESTOS {AS}{BEST}{OS}

17 Main problems affecting banks? (8) ?S?N?M?S (Addendum - TSUNAMIS [CD] - See comments)

19 Doctor Rachael rejected some reward (6) CARROT [T<=]

20 Withdrawing small deposits to tackle European organisations (6) SETUPS {S}{PUT{E}S}<=

23 End portion of glass tube (4) STUB [T]

Reference List

India = I, Spain = E, Resistance = R, Key = ALT, Daughter = D, Exercise = PE, Editor = ED, Southern = S, Intravenous = IV, Look = LO, Armstrong = A, Very = SO, 500 = D, Million = M, Wife = W, Hard = H, Type of shirt = T, Judge = J, Arsenic = AS, Very large = OS, Small = S, European = E