The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday, Sunday 28 Sep 2025,

ACROSS

7   Unit of measurement for a kiss? (4) PECK [DD]

8   Eddy's loop (9) WHIRLPOOL {LOOP}* [RA]

10 Arrest German captain removing headgear (6) DETAIN {DE}{capTAIN}

11 Opened Irish port in middle of nude dancing (8) UNCORKED {UN{CORK}ED*}

12 Member of staff's crooked eye follows English member of parliament, see? (8) EMPLOYEE {EYE}<=>{E}{MP}{LO}

14 & 13 Spooner's receptacle for mail gets superior security devices (6,5) BETTER LOCKS (~letter box to better locks)

16 Go before, start to pray and go back (7) PRECEDE {Pray}{RECEDE}

18 Other than covering last character's citation (7) EXCERPT {EXCE{c...eR}PT}

21 Fully exhausts from awful acupressure in absence of carer (4,2) USES UP acUPreSSUrE*

23 Giving up, lie dying horribly (8) YIELDING* 

25 Hero was running around end of war to get charger (8) WARHORSE {HERO+WAS}* over {waR}

27 Well-known investor's self-service meal (6) BUFFET [DD]

29 Nuts, screws and bolts, for example (9) FASTENERS [CD] Reminds me of the Mad rapist who escapes!!

30 Cutting instruments like X, Y or Z, perhaps (4) AXES [DD]

DOWN

1   Communist emeer turns into saviour (8) REDEEMER {RED}{EMEER}*

2   Vegetable from Bangkok ranch (4) OKRA [T]

3 & 6 & 20 Always, approximation of Pi is wrongly mentioned, with its numerator overstated by 2 (6,4,2,5) TWENTY FOUR BY SEVEN {(22+2)/7}

4   Records tunes wrongly composed by music institute initially (7) MINUTES {TUNES}*<=>{Mu..c}{In...e}

5   Flight recorder having dark colour in front of spar (5,3) BLACK BOX {BLACK}{BOX}

6   See 3 Down

9   Feudal lord's limb covers one sweetheart (5) LIEGE {L{1}EG}{swEet}

13 See 14 Across

15 Empty tankard covers small rough fabric (5) TWEED {Tank{WEE}arD}

17 Sent back to native country carrying wine, indeed (8) DEPORTED {DE{PORT}ED}

19 Reflective thinker transported per drone (8) PONDERER*

20 See 3 Down

22 Breakfast with female employees (5) STAFF {FAST}*{F}

24 Decorate setter on retirement with superior officer (6) EMBOSS {ME<=}{BOSS}

26 That guy's straw initially makes sibilant sound (4) HISS {HIS}{St..w}

28 Obese without eating at first? It's an achievement! (4) FEAT {F{Ea...g}AT}

Reference List

German = DE, English = E, Female = F