No 14703, Thursday 29 Jan 2026, Afterdark

Solution to 8D 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

9   Part of eleven? 50% replaced by adults with bat ultimately (7) ELEMENT {ELEven}{MEN}{baT}

10 One worried about American University's duplicate (7) IMITATE {1}{MIT}{ATE}

11 Cancelled a very old identity carried by journo (7) AVOIDED {A}{V}{O}{ID}{ED}

12 PTA cancelled, operations reworked on attrition (7) EROSION {OpERatIONS}*

13 Outcomes from last month? Failed mission losing millions (9) DECISIONS {DEC}{mISSION}*

15 Orangeman out of Oman's reach (5) RANGE oRANGEman

16 Optical phenomenon created by AI in brown splash (7) RAINBOW {R{AI}NBOW*}

19 Taster had enough in special rave in the beginning (7) SAMPLER {AMPLE} in {S}{Rave}

20 Specialist chasing silver vehicle (5) AGENT {ENT}<=>{AG}

21 Ignored North-east girl with the French journo caught in between (9) NEGLECTED {NE}{G}{LE}{ED} over {CT}

25 Sharp at home with present perhaps (7) INTENSE {IN}{TENSE}

26 Say, mother's younger sister is the smallest (7) MINIMUM {MINI MUM}

28 Great text, remember the contents (7) EXTREME [T]

29 Flying sea bird is oriental (7) EASTERN {SEA*}{TERN}

DOWN

1   Believe Royal Engineers have drawback (6) REGARD {RE}{DRAG<=}

2   Undaunted head constable relieves engineer off drug (6) HEROIC HEROI(+c-n)C N/Engineer?

3   Almost 7 days daughter had marijuana (4) WEED {WEEk}{D}

4   Workshop boss's binary (6) STUDIO {STUD}{1 0}

5   Complaints on seaside renovations on Sunday (8) DISEASES {SEASIDE*}{S}

6   Unit of Mike running to control record crowd (10) KILOGRAMME {MIKE}* over {LOG}{RAM}

7   Designation allows to arrest citizen (8) NATIONAL [T]

8   Hold, hold over footless animal (8) ?E?N?E?R ()

14 Substitute stands with drugs, perhaps (10) SUBSTANCES {SUB}{STANCES}

16 Fulfilled kinky desire by kidnapping a lady (8) REALISED {RE{A}{L}ISED*}

17 Name of a shelter keeping a bird's unknown (8) IDENTITY {1}{DEN}{TIT}{Y}

18 Roamed with staff before day's beginning (8) WANDERED {WAND}{ERE}{Day}

22 Covered gem with mud extraordinarily (6) GUMMED*

23 Victim Bernard held with wood (6) TIMBER [T]

24 Urge daughter to keep in custody disregarding rule (6) DEMAND {D}{rEMAND}

27 Organ in new orchestra's score's excellent as per sources (4) NOSE Acrostic

Reference List

Very = V, Old = O, Journo = ED, Millions = M, Special = S, Specialist= ENT, Girl = G, The in French = LE, Caght = CT, At home = IN, Royal Engineers = RE, Daughter = D, Sunday = S, Lady = L, Unknown = Y, Before = ERE, Rule = R