The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 49, Sunday 29 Mar 2026, Vidwan

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations compulsory) 

Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

ACROSS

1   You turn vacuous king cunningly into new generation radical reformist (5,4) YOUNG TURK {YOU+TURN+KinG}*

6   Swami goads some comrade (5) AMIGO [T]

9   At start, Kacheris are introducing a right kind of amateur singing (7) KARAOKE {Ka...s}{AR{A}{OK}E}

10 Core of maize peel in cooking broccoli penne (7) CORNCOB {CORNCOB+PEEL+IN}*={BROCCOLI PENNE}

11 Hot thighs model for hot leotards (6) TIGHTS {THIG(+t-h)TS}*

12 US City annoyed by English game (8) LACROSSE {LA}{CROSS}{E}

14 Even now one is a Himalayan mystery (4) YETI {YET}{1}

15 Think again about fraud on team runs (10) RECONSIDER {RE}{CON}{SIDE}{R}

18 Turns to fine pink under threat of sharp edged weapon (10) KNIFEPOINT*

20 Inform on bad and good (4) SING {SIN}{G}

23 Rock groups carried mutinous lad to barren areas in the Wild West (8) BADLANDS {BA{LAD*}NDS}

24 Country singer from India, almost through (6) LATVIA {LATa}{VIA}

26 Use one to regularly conceal plant product (7) TAPIOCA {TAP}{1}{cOnCeAl}

27 English dish, possibly tortoise! (7) RISOTTO {RISOTTO+E}*=TORTOISE [CA]

28 Sir! Bihar's rising right away! (5) SAHIB BIHArS<=

29 Strange to live without functional sense of humour (5,4) FUNNY BONE {FUNNY}{B{ON}E}

DOWN

1   Years! Stupidly take year after year to get to Alaska's cattle! (6,3) YAKETY YAK {Y}{TAKE*}{Y}{Y}{AK} Where is the defintion? Cattle/Yakety Yak?

2   Indian State, conservative and honest (7) UPRIGHT {UP}{RIGHT}

3   Had acquired right to regularly stay unpleasant (6) GROTTY {G{R}OT}{sTaY}

4   Fertilizer is component in agriculture activity (4) UREA [T] Semi&lit

5   One century separated two kings, duo ran struggling to move from place to place (4,6) KICK AROUND {K}{1}{C}{K}{DUO+RAN}*

6   Spooner's naked sprint to paint (8) AIRBRUSH (bare rush to airbrush)

7   Cut love out of decision models (7) INCISED DECISIoN*

8   Sun burnt, dark shaded (5) OMBRE sOMBRE

13 Latter part of Che's land reforms (6,4) SECOND HALF*

16 Procedure to fix married adult part (9) RIGMAROLE {RIG}{M}{A}{ROLE}

17 Bathe and come prepared for great sacrifice (8) HECATOMB {BATHE+COME}*

19 Then dip around completely (2,5) IN DEPTH*

21 Foreword about very independent way of fertilisation (2,5) IN VITRO {IN{V}{I}TRO}

22 Waterlogged planet, extremely homely (6) MARSHY {MARS}{Ho..lY}

23 Clubs having hot showers (5) BATHS {BAT{H}S}

25 Bird with right English name (4) WREN Acrostic Letter pick indicator missing

Reference List

Right = OK, Model = T, Hot = H, English = E, About = RE, Runs = R, Good = G, Right = R, Years = Y, Century = C, King = K, Sun = S, Married = M, Adult = A, Very = V, Independent = I

No 14753, Saturday 28 Mar 2026, Incognito

 ACROSS
8 Asian national found in Hiawatha Island (4) THAI [T]
9 List out letters in "Magical influence" (5) SPELL [DD]
10 Amounts received in charity is mostly small change (4) ALMS {SMALl}*
11 Endless magic performed by saint results in taint (6) STIGMA {MAGIc}*<=>{ST}
12 That lady with European finished first at this place (4,4) OVER HERE {HER}{E}<=>{OVER}
13 A cadet giving shelter to military officer after releasing model gets award (8) ACCOLADE {A C{COL}ADEt} 
15 Excitedly go over trench (6) GROOVE*
17 Sharpen in front of animal enclosure. It's the best policy! (7) HONESTY {HONE}{STY}
19 Sleeping equipment at end of aisle in ship for writers (7) SCRIBES {CRIB}{aislE} in {SS}
22 At first, unusually large fuse can be of utility (6) USEFUL {Unusually}{L FUSE}*
24 Bury Virginia with initial lover in the meantime (8) INTERVAL {INTER}{VA}{Lover}
26 Wild chatter about Republican becoming governor (8) TETRARCH {CHATTER}* about {R}
28 Require the French pointer (6) NEEDLE {NEED}{LE}

30 Heard, "Take a look. It's a kind of dog, in short" (4) PEKE {~PEEK} Short for Pekinese dog

31 Pertaining to measure of plain surface covered in rare album (5) AREAL [T]
32 Land in the middle of the sea, for example (4) ISLE [CD]

DOWN
1 Note from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu (4) CHIT [T]
2 Mistakenly one "Tring" sound emanating from phone (8) RINGTONE*
3 Territorial Army captures bird for ethnic group from South Africa (6) TSWANA {TA} around {SWAN}

4 Get back and put the lid on again (7) RECOVER {RE-COVER}
5 This type of reaction may translate to ill grace (8) ALLERGIC*
6 Potash transliterated in an Indo-European language (6) PASHTO*
7 Ruler can be seen in the mirror (4) EMIR [T]
14 Chinese operations producing items of food (5) CHOPS {CH}{OPS}
16 Musical instrument in possession of Naveen Andrews (5) VEENA [T]

18 Turnpike made from tall door (4,4) TOLL ROAD*
20 Middle Easterners showing real problem in river (8) ISRAELIS {REAL}* in {ISIS}
21 Her gift? Probably a type of plane... (7) FIGHTER*
23 One-time// student? (6) FORMER [DD]
25 Net rejected by boxer in AP town (6) TENALI {NET<}{ALI}
27 Part of seventeen? That's not odd... (4) EVEN [HIPS]
29 Small Yankee gets flower (4) LILY {LIL}{Y}

Reference List

Saint=St, European=E, Military Officer=Col(colonel), Model=T ( the Ford T model car), Ship=SS(Steamer Ship), Virginia=VA, Republican=R, The French=Le ( The in French language), Territorial Army=TA, Chinese=Ch, Operations=Ops, Boxer=Ali ( Muhammad Ali), Yankee=Y.

No 14752, Friday 27 Mar 2026, Arden

Rangoli by Gowri

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ACROSS

9   Sharpen pen, show uprightness (7) HONESTY {HONE}{STY}

10 Simple Bridge convention- yet confusing for a follower (7) ACOLYTE {ACOL}{YET*}

11 A month before Masters, perhaps (7) AUGUSTA {A}<=>{AUGUST}

12 Choice before a politician on eloquence (7) ORATORY {OR}{A}{TORY}

13 Old offensive- in the middle missing a skin eruption (9) EXANTHEMA {EX}{ANaTHEMA}

15 Finally, recommending for you- the usual thin porridge (5) GRUEL Tail acrostic

16 Spooner's broken sound- refuse to go in there (7) DUSTBIN (~bust din to dustbin)

19 Paints South African golfer's name inside (7) ENAMELS {E{NAME}LS}

20 Set boundaries on a quiet hoard of cash (5) STASH {SeT}{A}{SH}

21 Gorgeous! Sun in India shining, but not at home (9) RAVISHING {RAVI}{SHINinG}

25 US president accepts second time success (7) TRIUMPH {TR{tIme}UMP}H H from?

26 A horse with fat flanks always trails behind (7) LAGGARD {A}{GG} in {LARD}

28 Old-fashioned uniform- long for a solo dance (3,4) PAS SEUL {PASSE}{U}{L} 

29 Tesla to block representation by law (7) STATUTE {STATU{T}E}

DOWN

1   Expressed admiration for resistance (6) OHMAGE (~homage)

2   Mystery of the war time code (6) ENIGMA [DD]

3   Terror outfit has even airships (4) ISIS aIrShIpS

4   Layer after layer peeled by a primate (3-3) AYE-AYE {lAYEr-lAYEr}

5   Restriction on time for a title (8) BARONAGE {BAR}{ON}{AGE}

6   Also caring about an instrument (3,7) COR ANGLAIS*

7   Intend to take over Sony- it's getting all the attention (8) CYNOSURE {C{SONY<=}URE}

8   About-turns and salvages (8) RECYCLES [DD]

14 Vociferous supporter expressing doubt over he and Trump running (3-7) TUB-THUMPER {BUT<=}{HE+TRUMP}*

16 Counter toys with computers (8) DESKTOPS {DESK}{TOPS}

17 Spookiest foreign actress I got involved (8) SCARIEST {ACTRESS}* over {I} 

18 The counsel finally stopped hearing somehow and shouted "hooker!" (8) NARGHILE {c...eL} in {HEARING}* (~hookah)

22 Survival is easy with packed bag (6) VALISE [T]

23 He was badly sun burnt in Greece once (6) ICARUS [GK]

24 Contraption tagged wrongly (6) GADGET*

27 Stick around a US island territory (4) GUAM {GU{A}M}

Reference List

Old = EX, Quiet = SH, Horse = GG, Uniform = U, Long = L, Tesla = T, Tend = CURE

No 14751, Thursday 26 Mar 2026, Arden

Artwork by Prasanna

Solution to 16D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Port deck is exposed in general (6) RECIFE {R{dECk}IFE}

4   Can start with current location - pitch tents here (8) CAMPSITE {Can}{AMP}{SITE}

9   Sleep disorder? Break open and get into a self-help group (6) APNOEA {OPEN}* in {AA}

10 Laxative leaves Peter in a dizzy (8) APERIENT*

12 Hector at Hector the divine ruler (8) THEOCRAT*

13 South African wants a revolution (6) TSWANA*

15 Amusing to hear them - millions for charity, a prop is placed inside (12) MALAPROPISMS {M}{AL{A}{PROP}{IS}MS}

18 I need coastal police for suspension of hostilities (2-10)  DE-ESCALATION*

21 Bring the wagon back - that is tough (6) YARDIE {DRAY<=}{IE}

22 Fishermen had enormous catch of fish (8) MENHADEN [T]

24 Go pack a banian - it's a poor imitation (8) TRAVESTY {TR{A}{VEST}Y}

25 Review arts - takes a second for the tissue that forms the structure of an organ (6) STROMA {A{MO}RTS}<=

26 Memorial in place - not a phase (8) CENOTAPH [T]

27 Second copy - no work for the harvester (6) SCYTHE {S}{CopY}{THE}

DOWN

1   Live, let Marie go crazy (4-4) REAL-TIME*

2   Becomes hard when half the opposition party's on short leash, perhaps (8) CONGEALS {CONGress}{LEASh*}

3   Macron perhaps makes a Parisian, say, to keep quiet (6,9) FRENCH PRESIDENT {FRENCH RESIDENT} over {P}

5   Guarding a sherpa's place while climbing mountains (4) ALPS [T<=]

6    Part of the nervous system providing caring support to a soldier (15) PARASYMPATHETIC {SYMPATHETIC}<=>{PARA}

7   Melt ice cap to help you throw up (6) IPECAC*

8   Catch associate's brief rise (6) ENTRAP PARTNEr<=

11 Ring us - intend to drink and make merry (7) CAROUSE {CAR{O}{US}E}

14 Keep in deficit - a delay accepted (7) CITADEL [T]

16 Spooner may object to the entertainer right at the very end (8) ?I?D?O?T ()

17 Somehow unite, protect political group and overwhelm (8) INUNDATE {INU{NDA}TE*}

19 Systematic changes, losing seat as if by magic (6) MYSTIC {SYsteMaTIC}*

20 Police raid, no rule (6) ORDAIN*

23 Tread softly - take enough precautions first of all (4) STEP Acrostic

Reference List

Million = M, Second = MO, Second = S, Quiet = P, Tend = CARE

No 14750, Wednesday 25 Mar 2026, Arden

Solution to 25D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Army man's struggle for country (7) MYANMAR*

5   The famous four live least bothered (7) BEATLES {BE}{LEAST*}

9   Big man Brown drinking vermouth (5) TITAN {T{IT}AN}

10 Fancy hat priced so low (4,5) DIRT CHEAP* Semi&lit

11 Practising initially with one book daily (9) OBSERVANT {One}{B}{SERVANT}

12 Maybe Christopher's missing others on the mountain (5) REEVE {RE}{EVErest}

13 Made it back off a bit and fastened (4) TIED [T<=]

15 Japanese gambling on a breach in a river (8) PACHINKO {P{A}{CHINK}O}

18 Check time in the heart of the ship (8)  CORVETTE {COR{VET}{T}E}

19 Appropriate score (4) NICK [DD]

22 Mercury transits symbol of female passivity and is hurrying off (5) HYING {H{YIN}G}

24 Type of fish on the rocky seashores (3,6) SEA HORSES*

26 Corporations's intent to make a list (9) WAISTLINE {A+LIST}* in {WINE} What is 'corporations's'?

27 I had returned to old state (5) IDAHO {I}{HAD<=}{O}

28 Sister's travel counters (7) RESISTS*

29 Another thing that is meant to be a retirement cover (7) NIGHTIE {THING*}{IE}

DOWN

1   Could be remote visitor from the heavens (6) METEOR*

2   Sits awkwardly in a fancy American car making highest pitch (9) ALTISSIMO {A}{L{SITS*}IMO}

3   More detailed coverage of one in a villa (5) MANOR {M{AN}ORe}

4   Welcome sign of a communist reprimand (3,6) RED CARPET {RED}{CARPET}

5   Live on time - it could be felt (5) BERET {BE}{RE}{T}

6   Instrument with electric cable, no one to set up (9) ACCORDION {AC}{CORD}{NO 1<=}

7   Some allege ill-treatment, rise against the sovereign (5) LIEGE [T<=]

8   Excellent sandwiches - pay first for an evening meal (6) SUPPER {SUP{Pay}ER}

14 Female star billionaire strays (9) DIVAGATES {DIVA}{GATES}

16 Special screen with current input at regular intervals for a medical procedure (9) CAESAREAN {C{A}ES{A}RE{A}N*}

17 Gives up on pastry - that should give an impetus (4,5) KICK START {KICKS}{TART}

20 Service without sin - how to stop barrage? (6) SHOWER {S{HOW}ERvice}

21 Cash or easy payment option to acquire land (6) ASHORE [T]

23 One competes with climbers (5) IVIES {1}{VIES}

24 Avoids Dutch chicken on board (5) SKIPS {S{KIP}S}

25 Outstanding split opinion (5) O?I?G (Addendum - OWING {O}{WING} - See comments)

Reference List

Vermouth = IT, Book = B, On = RE, Time = T, Tent = WINE, Old = O, Current = A, On board = SS, Pinion = WING

No 14749, Tuesday 24 Mar 2026, Crossant

Solution to 20D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

8   Dream about getting money, love, bit of sunshine and drink (6) MIMOSA {AIM<=} over {M}{O}{Su...e}A

9   Guys practised after Australian Open (8) AMENABLE {MEN}{ABLE}<=>{A}

10 Backstage issue? (4) EMIT<=

11 Toppers of the English League may have lost lead perhaps (5,5) HEAVY METAL {The+En...h+Le...e+MAY+HAVE}*

12 Essentially stuffy, air conditioned, vacant lobby (9) PRIMARILY {PRIM}{AIR*}{LobbY}

14 Roll Back Support - Amazon's bestseller basically (5) BAGEL {LEG}{Am...n}{Be...r}<=

16 Initially trekked around 50 kilometres say (4) TALK {Tr...d}{Ar...d}{L}{K}

18 Model appears without clothes daily (5) PAPER aPPEARs*

19 Somewhat lucky I visited European city (4) KYIV [T]

21 Money returned around beginning of previous month (5) APRIL {LIR{Pr...s}A<]

23 Came across poem about a virtual world (9) METAVERSE {MET}{VERSE} over {A}

26 One sees ad about earning money in Asian region (4,6) EAST INDIES {1+SEES+AD}* over {TIN}

28 Reduce high speed (4) CLIP [DD]

29 Indian ascetic, for example, assuming new name on a small island (8) SANNYASI {SA{N}{N}Y}{S}{I}

30 One about to enter a far-off land (6) AFRICA {1}{C} in {A+FAR}*

DOWN

1   Drink with a bit of rum - Mai Tai perhaps (3,5) TIA MARIA {A+Rum+MAI+TAI}*

2   Saw boy standing behind (6) BOTTOM {MOTTO}{B}<=

3   Spooner's emergency officers getting coffee and cocoa perhaps (4,5) CASH CROPS (crash cops to cash crops)

4   Indian tribal leaving island returns once more (4) NAGA AGAiN<=

5   Yankee largely happy in African country (5) KENYA YANKEe*

6   Dance - it's easy (8) CAKEWALK [DD]

7   Say difficulty swallowing morsel eventually comes up in later years (3,3) OLD AGE {EG}{AD{m...eL}O}<=

13 Vacant space behind leg slip (5) LAPSE {APSE}<=>{L}

15 Largest English Academy sporting official Government stamp (5,4) GREAT SEAL {LARGEST+E+A}*

17 King and knight leaving without queen for recreational activity perhaps (8) KNITTING {K}{N}{quITTING}

20 Talent's not obvious, needs discerning insight to begin with (8) I?S?I?C? {Addendum - INSTINCT INdiSTINCT - See comments)

22 Alcaraz ditches car, cycles in extremely populous public squares in Spain (6) PLAZAS {(-a)LcarAZ(+a)A} in {Po...uS}

24 Fiery McEnroe blowing his top once again (6) ENCORE mCENROE*

25 Popular place for decorative work (5) INLAY {IN}{LAY}

27 Plant inspectors review industrial safety primarily (4) IRIS Acrostic

Reference List

Money = M, Australian = A, 50 = L, Kilometres = K, Money = TIN, New = N, Name = N, Small = S, Island = I, About = C, Boy = B, Leg = L, English = E, Academy = A, King = K, Knight = N, Queen = QU, Popular = IN

No 14748, Monday 23 Mar 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 1A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Think about Rose these days? (6) W?N?E? (Addendum - WONDER {RED}{NOW}<= - See comments)

4   Place to drink wine is off limits (6) BARRED {BAR}{RED}

8   Couple in difficulty abandons daughter (7) HARNESS HARdNESS

9   Part of legend is not a lie perhaps (7) TOENAIL*

11 Great in Rock? (3,7) RED GRANITE {GREAT+IN}* [RA]

12 Othello's greatest antagonist is basically twisted (4) IAGO Acrostic<= &lit

13 Means of communication that's out of reach in Dindigul (5) HINDI [T]

14 Part of club is super cool according to the Reverend (8) HANDGRIP (grand hip to handgrip)

16 One regularly wetting the bed? (8) GARDENER [CD]

18 Break eggs from one end to the other (5) SURGE (+s)SURGE(-s)

20 First of all, bro, men want sexy cars (1,1,1,1) B M W S Acrostic

21 Negotiates with members involved in insurance (6,4) CLIMBS OVER {C{LIMBS}OVER}

23 Anybody could be putting tight noose around me (7) SOMEONE {SO{ME}ONE*}

24 Develop an American company, say (7) GESTATE {GE}{STATE}

25 Explosive report mainly implicates judge (6) TETRYL {TE{TRY}Ll}

26 Order a fancy big fan (6) ADORER*

DOWN

1   Heard you and I have to make up (5) WEAVE {WE'VE}

2   Figure of dragon on a gong (7) NONAGON [T]

3   Perhaps Korean man wanting anaesthesia is treated (4,5) EAST ASIAN ANAESTheSIA*

5   Pay when you eat lunch (5) ATONE {AT ONE}

6   Washing hair in Singapore sucks! (7) RINSING [T]

7   Timid one initially gets beaten in prison (5,4) DOING TIME {TIMID+ONE+Gets}*

10 A thin girl injured in a minor fall (5,4) LIGHT RAIN*

13 Ahem...er... I can explain! (4,2,3) HEAR ME OUT {AHEM+ER}* [RA]

15 Spooner's fans want the effect of a good punch perhaps (9) NOSEBLEED (blows need to nosebleed)

17 Locked up Napoleon in America perhaps (7) DESSERT<=

19 One is naturally alarming (7) ROOSTER [CD]

21 What makes the coating of confectionery sweet? (5) CANDY {Co...rY(C and Y)} Semi&lit

22 This might keep you warm in East End's diner (5) EATER (~heater)

Reference List

Daughter = D

Special, Sunday 22 Mar 2026, IIT (M) Open Final, Ramki Krishnan

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory) 

Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

Enjoy.

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 48, Sunday 22 Mar 2026, Incognito

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations compulsory) 

Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

ACROSS

8   Pulled and sketched (4) DREW [DD]

9   Reduce moisture level around top class type of farm producing milk (5) DAIRY {D{A1}RY}

10 Island Noah utilised to some extent (4) OAHU [T]

11 Says, "It may be United" (6) STATES [DD}

12 These are used to supply energy for war horses (8) CHARGERS [DD]

13 Final position from one companion after last month (8) ULTIMATE {1}{MATE}<=>{ULT}

15 Spouse's relatives, including women, slain horribly (2-4) IN-LAWS {W+SLAIN}*

17 Give a big smile after tea, resulting in consternation (7) CHAGRIN {GRIN}<=>{CHA}

19 Sees "Best Wishes" (7) REGARDS [DD]

22 Motorist's club (6) DRIVER [DD]

24 Ten beams wrongly placed in cellar (8) BASEMENT*

26 Hated exam indeed! (8) DETESTED {DE{TEST}ED}

28 Don's descendant follows public university teacher initially (4,2) PUTS ON {SON}<=>{Pu...c}{Un...y}{Te...r}

30 In jail, love attendant (4) PEON {PE{O}N}

31 I'm leaving Martini cocktail for coach (5) TRAIN mARTINi*

32 Makes mistake parking costly car in European street at first (4) ERRS {E{}RR}{St...t}

DOWN

1   Boy with rodent is a troublesome kid (4) BRAT {B}{RAT}

2   Clobbering a teetotaller occupying equipment in playground (8) SWATTING {SW{A}{TT}ING}

3   Port protected by Goddess Athena (6) ODESSA [T] Extra D in the fodder

4   Jug's a sports player who stands on a mound (7) PITCHER [DD]

5   Item manufactured by crazy Andy is explosive (8) DYNAMITE {ITEM}*<=>{ANDY}*

6   After Monday, for starters, go out looking for an East Asian (6) MONGOL {MON}{Go}{Out}{Lo...g}

7   Actor from Mancherla (4) CHER [HIPS]

14 Violent mudflow in Ambala, Haryana (5) LAHAR [T]

16 Increase breadth of West Indies study (5) WIDEN {WI}{DEN}

18 Pester Ms Hayworth in middle of tortuous rite (8) IRRITATE {IR{RITA}TE*}

20 Owned up and took on board (8) ADMITTED [DD]

21 City's having an offer by January (7) ABIDJAN {A}{BID}{JAN}

23 Nine confused in Virginia's capital (6) VIENNA {V{NINE*}A}

25 Little Susan possessing thin brooch is lying (6) SUPINE {SU{PIN}E}

27 Looked at storey edited partially (4) EYED [T]

29 Blades found in boar skin (4) OARS [T]

Reference List

Women = W, European = E, Boy = B, Teetotaller = TT

No 14747, Saturday 21 Mar 2026, Vidwan

 

Artwork by Prasanna

ACROSS

8 Inflame and captivate royal for good! (6) ENRAGE {EN(-g+R)RAGE}
9 Wheels for hire arranged near cart (4-1-3) RENT-A-CAR*
10 Bond's report (8) RELATION [DD]
11 Rub me! I do soak in blood! (6) IMBRUE*
12 Love to bat in ground net (6) OBTAIN {O}{BAT IN*}
14 Large and small soldiers, compatriots (8) LANDSMEN {L}{AND}{S}{MEN}
15 Slice of French tea, rolls and cheese (4) FETA {French}{TEA*}
17 Gag poor thing with leaves (5) RETCH  {wRETCH}
18 Work on small ebbing form of precipitate (4) SNOW {W}{ON}{S}<
20 Something that starts meal over a beer at times (8) LAUNCHER {L{A}UNCH}{bEeR}
22 Interlocks trenches around a city (6) PLAITS {P{LA}ITS}
24 Most unhinged fellow from Edinburgh, wasting time, painting (6) FRESCO {FREe}{SCOt}

25 Charity programme, say mostly on the broadcast (8) TELETHON {TELl}{ON THE*}
27 Judge in the style of writer, with love for spice (8) JALAPENO {J}{A LA}{PEN}{O}

28 Lady disregarding a new club creature (6) WOMBAT {WOM(-a, -n +BAT)BAT

DOWN

1 Permit fee for a drain (8) ENFEEBLE {EN{-a+FEE)FEEBLE}
2 Father cultivated a yard for a tropical fruit (6) PAPAYA {PAP{A Y*}A}
3 Half of South European spy agency (4) SEMI {S}{E}{MI}
4 Sir, let Tarantino start to render in different script (15) TRANSLITERATION* 
5 English knight features in a junior posting in American Navy (10) ENSIGNSHIP {E}{N}{SIGNS}{HIP}
6 Coaches chasing one and a million metrical feet (8) IAMBUSES {BUSES}<=>{I}{A}{M}
7 World is new and bit anarchic? Sadly true! (6) NATURE {N}{Anarchic}{TRUE*}
13 King or a throne representing a state (5,5) NORTH KOREA {K OR A THRONE}*

16 Main case about loss of hard disk? (8) AMNESIAC* Nice definition!
19 Ordinary friend having one in hundred non-obligatory choice (8) OPTIONAL {O}{P{T{I}ON}AL}
21 Channels of supply from heart of America! Gold with unlimited stash! (6) AORTAS {A}{OR}{sTASh}
23 Allergy syndrome that hampers man's aspirations basically (6) ASTHMA [Acrostic] &LIT
26 Dirty work, replacing a clue! (4) LEWD {LE(-a+W)WD}

REFERENCE LIST

Royal=R, Good=G, Love=0=O, L=Large, Small=S, With=W, Work=W, Judge=J, New=N, Yard=Y, South=S, European=E, English=E, Knight=N, Ordinary=O, One=1=I, America=A, Gold=OR.