The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 29, 09 November 2025, Ho Chi Minh City

NINE CROWNS

ACROSS

9   Upset jinn tore packages (Ali ultimately put pieces together) (9) INTERJOIN*  {JINN+TORE}* over {alI}

10 Devise escape mechanism (5) HATCH [DD]

11 Tiny piece of moon brought back in casing of graphite (7) GRANULE {Gr..{LUNAR<=}...tE}

12 Monkey kept in section with low wall (7) PARAPET {PAR{APE}T}

13 Good—indeed, fantastic conclusion by umpire raising finger after catch? (5) EDGED {ED{G}ED*}

14 Prospect of naughty lap dances? (9) LANDSCAPE*

16 Father had potato (fried), just like that (2,3,4,2,1,3) AT THE DROP OF A HAT*

19 Bars illegal shoe sale arresting touts at the centre (3,6) ALE HOUSES {SHOE+SALE}* over {toUts}

22 Bore child with tips on debate after retirement (5) TOTED {TOT}{De..tE<=} 

24 Fish amino acid he took very regularly? (7) ANCHOVY {AmiNo+aCid+He+tOok+VerY}

26 Bleak country—in short, there's no hospital! (7) AUSTERE {AUS}{ThERE}

27 Question: best current opener in cricket? (5) TOPIC {TOP}{I}{Cr...t}

28 Intimacy on the counter? Lust, getting wasted in odd places? Setter has concerning long-term wild reproduction consequences (9) EVOLUTIVE {LOVE<=}{lUsT}{I'VE}

DOWN

1   Wife has one scrambled egg and third of milk shake (6) WIGGLE {W}{1}{EGG+miLk}*

2   Direct eccentric star and topless 8 (8) STRAIGHT {STAR*}{eIGHT} 

3   Gussalufz's "EZ" or most elementary level? (6,4) GROUND ZERO {EZ+OR}* [RA] What's the role of Gussalufz?

4   Annoy gangster from the north (6) BOREAL {BORE}{AL}

5   Criticize revolutions over quick chat (4-4) SNIP-SNAP {PAN}{SPINS}<=

6   Overcook chicken horribly and ruin starters (4) CHAR Acrostic

7   Ideal place, you said, to quietly and heartily flirt with one (6) UTOPIA {(~you)U}{TO}{P}{flIrt}{A}

8   With husband near America, send message around noon: "Anything else we can do?" (4,4) WHAT NEXT {W}{H}{A}{T{N}EXT}

15 Foetus sits fooling around in this body part (4,6) SOFT TISSUE*

16 Perennial bloomer, "Amar _____ Anthony," releasing on Sunday, finally (8) AMARANTH {AMAR}{ANTHony}

17 Blowing top, fought about company's latest updated design (8) RESTYLED {wRESTL{c...nY}ED}

18 Lizard spoiled the raita (8) HATTERIA*

20 Key feature of rogue's capers (6) ESCAPE [T]

21 Sailor departs around first half of dawn after getting up (3,3) SEADOG {GO{DAwn}ES}<=

23 More yawning from the German bored by Go round (6) DEEPER {D{PEE<=}ER}

25 Main killer or essentially reluctant associate? (4) ORCA {OR}{reluCtant}{A}

Reference List

Good = G, Hospital = H, Wife = W, Gangster = AL(Capone), Quietly = P, With = W, Husband = H, America = A, Noon = N, The in German = DER, Go = PEE, Associate = A