No 14537, Wednesday 12 Nov 2025, Crossant

Welcome to our new setter CROSSANT. Bouquets and Brickbats welcome.

Solution to 22D 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

6   Boy initially refused to have toast (5) BROWN {B}{Re...d}{OWN}

7   No afterthought perhaps about getting a listening device (8) EARPHONE {PERHAps}*{ONE}

10 Stay in America, invest outside (7) SUSPEND {S{US}PEND}

11 Imagine Queen perhaps jamming, performing live (7) BELIEVE {BE{LIVE*}E}

12 What supervisors do about some trainees revolting (7) OVERSEE [T<=]

13 English women crowding section near church entrance (7) BEWITCH {B{E}{W}IT}{CH}

14 The way a criminal behaves in "Don" - stylish, essentially great acting (11) DISHONESTLY {DON+STYLISH+grEat}*

19 Story about victory - yes, saving a tree (4,3) LIVE OAK {LI{V}E}{O{A}K}

21 Make the negatives visible to bring out potential (7) DEVELOP [C&DD]

23 Songs and dances stopped by angry devotees initially (7) BALLADS {BALL{An..y}{De...s}S}

25 Repair shop again? (7) RESTORE {RE}{STORE}

26 This one thinks cold beer's bad. Odd. (8) CEREBRUM {C}{BEER}*{RUM}

27 Tubby's not been seen regularly (5) OBESE {nOt+BeEn+SeEn}

DOWN

1   God, he has drunk a large amount of alcohol (8) HOGSHEAD*

2   Sent back hostel night-watchmen guarding entrances (6) INLETS [T<=]

3   Embroidery that is done by an acupuncturist? (10) NEEDLEWORK [DD]

4   Good, clean food (4) GRUB {G}{RUB}

5   One new group for cricket perhaps (6) INSECT {1}{N}{SECT}

6   Give Cream of Wheat to begin with (6) BESTOW {BEST}{Of}{Wh..t}

8   Fool waving white flag endlessly (4-3)  HALF-WIT {WHITe+FLAg}*

9   Husband seen in eatery in city (5) DELHI {DEL{H}I}

13 A small fragment of food could provide a clue (10) BREADCRUMB [C&DD] 

15 Time to keep gold in warehouse (7) STORAGE {ST{OR}AGE}

16 Cry aloud getting more depressed, more sickly-looking (8) YELLOWER {(~yell)YEL}{LOWER}

17 Bail one out with this? (5) ALIBI {BAIL+1}* Semi&lit

18 Set openers of Sunrisers playing at this point (6) SPHERE {Su...s}{Pl...g}{HERE}

20 So, without right detaining everyone in Kashmir perhaps (6) VALLEY {V{ALL}ErY}

22 Perception: Not in favour of plan (6) V?S?O? (Addendum - VISION proVISION - See comments)

24 Certainly, he argues back regularly (4) SURE {hE+aRgUeS}<=

Reference List

Boy = B, Afterthought = PS, Queen perhaps = BEE, English = E, Women = W, Church = CH, Victory = V, Again = RE, Cold = C, Good = G, New = N, Husband = H, Right = R