No 14505, Saturday 7 June 2025, Incognito

 

Artwork by Prasanna

ACROSS
1 Got nude holding a letter not having a destination (11) UNADDRESSED {UN{A}{D}DRESSED}
9 A final letter loveless Cortes composed after leaving south for Mesoamerican civilization (5) AZTEC {A}{Z}{CorTEs}* deletion of R from?
10 Smooching queen and American diplomat (9) KISSINGER {KISSING}{ER}

11 Abused tamed ratel when injured (10) MALTREATED* 
12 Capital invested in Manali mall (4) LIMA [T]
13 Fruit used in chilli chicken (5) LICHI [T]

15 Guess one friend established initially (8) ESTIMATE {I}{MATE}<=>{EST}
17 Juliet prepares chains containing Middle Eastern gemstones (8) JACINTHS {J}{CHAINS*} containing {easTern}

19 Mentally prepare devastated physicians abandoning Sinai (5) PSYCH {PHYSiCians}*
22 Leaping pig going away is thin! (4) LEAN {LEApiNg}
23 After Michigan, New Yorker releases Yankee pit-man (4-6) MINE-WORKER {MI}{NEW yORKER}
26 How you utter "You and I", perhaps, on radio? (9) PRONOUNCE {~PRONOUNS}
27 Nobleman protecting Tory leader's safe (5) PETER {PE{Tory}ER}
28 What the severely ailing seamstress was hoping to do... (4,7) PULL THROUGH [C&DD]

DOWN
1 Up to the time unit is exploded by novice (5) UNTIL {UNIT*}{L}
2 Instrument from contract No.1 is rejected (9) ACCORDION {ACCORD}{NO1<}

3 Ordered child to return with shoddy clothes (6) DIKTAT {KID<}{TAT} Order or Ordered?
4 Oriental flowers for festivals (7) EASTERS {E}{ASTERS}
5 Prison commotion (4) STIR [DD] 
6 Distinguished guest horribly dying after consuming endless raita (9) DIGNITARY {RAITa}in {DYING*}
7 Kind of animal found in thousand miles between Massachusetts and Alabama (6) MAMMAL {MA}{M}{M}{AL}
8 Lubricate gears fitted around end of axle (6) GREASE {GEARS*} around {axlE}
14 Excitedly cook a chop and become very pleased (4-1-4) COCK-A-HOOP*
16 Unprepared, I'm on time at university (9) IMPROMPTU {I'M}{PROMPT}{U}
17 Drinks juice without ice, then agitatedly paddles in absence of dad (6) JULEPS {JUice}{PaddLES*}

18 Caul one in Tehran may make (7) HAIRNET {I} in {TEHRAN*}
20 African capital invested in Potohar area (6) HARARE [T]
21 Space traveller came across powdered ore (6) METEOR {MET}{ORE*}
24 Pole missed in drawing sailboat (5) KETCH {sKETCH}

25 Work hard removing asp from topsail (4) TOIL {TOpsaIL}

REFERENCE LIST

Final Letter=Z, Queen=ER, One=I, Established=Est, Juliet=J, Michigan=Mi, Yankee=Y, Novice=L, Oriental=E(astern), Thousand=M, Miles=M, Massachusetts=Ma, Alabama=Al, University=U, Pole=S(outh).