No 14669, Friday 19 Dec 2025, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

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PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

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ACROSS

1   Wild cat back-biting workers from company, say (8) REGIMENT {TIGER<=} over {MEN}

5   Start with Buenos Aires randomly in this country (6) SERBIA {Bu...s+AIRES}*

10 Red mark allowed (7) SCARLET {SCAR}{LET}

11 Watch two tennis shots - first missing top line (7) OBSERVE {lOB}{SERVE}

12 Fish eating - Yankee is making it up (5) LYING {L{Y}ING}

13 Silence over hidden past - it's coined for a single occasion (5,4) NONCE WORD {DROWN<=} over {ONCE}

14 Work undone, setter under attack (12) DENOUNCEMENT {UNDONE*}{CEMENT}

18 Unearths true form of a game (8,4) TREASURE HUNT*

21 Follow a genetic code - otherwise amuse to a sickening degree (2,7) AD NAUSEAM {A}{DNA}{AMUSE*}

23 Two points within a point - go back to country (5) BENIN {E}{N} in {NIB<=}

24 A mineral recovered with sun spray... (7) AEROSOL {A}{ORE<=}{SOL}

25 ...brings them together provided that is during sunset (7) UNIFIES {IF}{IE}* in {SUN}*

26 Meets as one finally escapes (6) EVENTS {onE}{VENTS}

27 Borders of cloth, strangely no sign of knots (8) CHIGNONS {ClotH}{NO+SIGNS}*

DOWN

1   Take stock stealthily, find way to break law (6) RUSTLE {RU{ST}LE}

2   Last string on musical instrument strung up for free (6) GRATIS {s...nG}{SITAR<=}

3   Poor Germans accept half lies from those who slander (9) MALIGNERS {MA{LIes}GNERS*}

4   New route, only twice changed? No way! (3,2,4,5) NOT ON YOUR NELLY {N+ROUTE+ONLY+ONLY}*

6   Even extremities, girl will follow (5) ENSUE {EveN}{SUE}

7   Reveals fish inside parallel lines (3,5) BAR CODES {BAR{COD}ES}

8   Account of stake holding, criminal code (8) ANECDOTE {AN{CODE*}TE}

9   Use noun with method - not happy? (4,2,3,5) DOWN IN THE MOUTH*

15 Dignifying good French upbringing, it's evergreen (9) ENNOBLING {BONNE<=}{LING}

16 A salt say grabbing attention (8) STEARATE {ST{EAR}ATE}

17 She feeds babies that are very small, taking turns somehow (3-5) WET-NURSE {WE{TURNS*}E}

19 Could be doing after I get a dye (6) INDIGO {DOING}*<=>{I}

20 Lay up is for awareness (6) GNOSIS {SONG<=}{IS}

22 To end it all, you keep this one, don't be angry (5) UPSET Tail Acrostic

Reference List

Yankee = Y, Points = E,N, New = N, Stake = ANTE, Lay = SONG