Friday, 23 January 2026

No 14698, Friday 23 Jan 2026, Incognito

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY
All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

ACROSS
1   Unpaid? Super! (11)
9   Swears on affidavit typed hastily, for starters, and signs finally (5)
10 Prudent to go around country with Romeo and Lothario (9)
11 Misleading clue for "Sacred ornament worn by her after removing pouch" (3,7)
12 Wiki wrongly spelt bird (4)
13 Fine cotton thread from large island (5)
15 Excitedly petting around end of arm and seducing (8)
17 Talking without a bandage (8)
19 Boy leaves river submerging girl's animal (5)
22 Uncovered part of menu deleted (4)
23 No place to die inside the house (6-4)
26 Savage baron is in front of funny Arabian carrying redhead (9)
27 Prod guardsmen giving up arms and running (5)
28 Little dog with European mother's mother consumed fruit (11)

DOWN
1   Chose operation to explore deep initially (5)
2   Seattle preparation on ship is insipid (9)
3   Worst construction around eastern skyscrapers (6)
4   Named person... one jumping around pit (7)
5   Charged particles found in onion skin (4)
6   Going, consuming small sip, and indulging in idle talk (9)
7   Rolls Royce is parked in fuel enclosure (6)
8   Is making a mistake placing ornament behind queen (6)
14 Policeman's stake-out near road wrongly taped person... Not on! (5,4)
16 A label fixed in piano built in South American region (9)
17 European carrying university boy's flower (6)
18 Perhaps, transfixing top class fish behind end of barn (7)
20 The Desert Fox starting to march in capital with trainee (6)
21 Flower from Zulu hostelry is available in the beginning (6)
24 Historically popular song, perhaps, in soldier's heart (5)
25 Moderately hot conflict with maiden (4)



27 comments:

  1. 9A - OATHS - Swears; (O)n (A)ff..t (T)y..d (H)as..y and sign(S)
    12A - KIWI - Bird; Wiki - anagram; wrongly - anagrid
    27A - NUDGE - Prod; GUarDsmEN-arms (giving up); anagrid - running
    Anagram - GUDEN
    2D - TOWERS - Skyscrapers; anagram - WORST around (E)astern; anagrid - construction
    5D - IONS - Charged particles; onION Skin - telescopic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read 2D as 3D. The clue and solve is 3D. Apologies

      Delete
  2. 2d tasteless - insipid anagram of Seattle and ss
    1a outstanding - unpaid - super
    6 d Gossiping idle talk from anagram of going S sip

    ReplyDelete
  3. 8 d erring making mistakes from er queen and ring ornament

    ReplyDelete
  4. 13a lisle fine thread from L arge ISLE island

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1D. OPTED = chose - first letters of words in clue

    ReplyDelete
  6. 25D. WARM = moderately hot - WAR (conflict) with M (maiden)

    ReplyDelete
  7. 22A. NUDE = uncovered, telescopic - meN UDEleted

    ReplyDelete
  8. 13A. LISLE = fine cotton thread - L for large + ISLE for island

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 15a TEMPTING =seducing
    {PETTING+a̶r̶M}*
    17a DRESSING =bandage
    talking =ADRESSING -A
    19a TIGER=animal
    river=TIBER-(B)oy
    submerges (G)irl
    23a LIVING ROOM=no place to die
    Inside house &lit
    24d OLDIE=Histoically popular song
    S̶(OLDIE)R̶

    ReplyDelete
  11. Todays puzzle seemed too easy

    ReplyDelete
  12. 10ac womaniser (w(oman) ise(r)
    1ac outstanding (DD)
    4dn nominee mine in(one) *
    19ac tiger ti(-b+g) er
    25dn warm (war) m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 10A. Prudent, wise is prudent
      Oman [country), Romeo and Lothario[R]
      W(oman) ise+r
      Lothario is one selfishly behaving with woman, in his sensual relationships.

      Delete
  13. 4d
    Named person=nominee
    Pit=mine
    (One+mine)*=nominee

    ReplyDelete
  14. 17A- Talking is 'Addressing'? (with 2 D's) So it should be minus 'AD'?

    ReplyDelete
  15. 28 A. Pomegranate
    Little dog is pom( short form of pommeranian dog.)
    Although pomme , the French word for apple can be considered it isn't a direct short for pomegranate)
    Europen(e), mother's mother is grany(gran) consumed is eat(ate)
    So, pom+ e+ gran+ ate
    Please don't curse if annotation doesn't match yours.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 26 A barbarian (savage def.)
    Baron (b)+ Arabian+ redhead (R, head indicates it should be first, perhaps)
    16 D. Patagonia
    Piano + tago( a region)
    A label ( a tag!?)
    Patagonia
    Tago is a region in Phillipines and not in south America)
    Please suggest any corrections

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A label=a tag, in piano, built is anagrind, (piano)*=(ponia)
      {p(atag)onia}

      Delete
    2. What about the south American region?
      How to account for it?

      Delete
    3. Patagonia is south american region.

      Delete
  17. 14 D speed trap ( speed braker) Direct clue
    Taped person ( speed trap)
    Wrongly ( CW indicator)

    ReplyDelete
  18. 14d; policeman"s stake = SPEED TRAP
    Anagram of TAPED + PERS(PERSON-ON)

    ReplyDelete
  19. 16d: PATAGONIA-> South american region
    label=TAG
    Anagram of A+TAG+PIANO

    ReplyDelete
  20. 21 D , Zinnia, a flower( of sun flower family)
    Beginning ( CW indicator of Z)
    Zulu(z) hostelry(Inn) ,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your quota of five is finished. Don't attempt any more.

      Delete

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