No 14274, Monday 23 Feb 2026, Arden

Solution to 5D 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

6   Tries out from things for cleaning and grooming with a fabric (5) TOILE TOILEtries

7   Criminal chained in front of a Spanish villa (8) HACIENDA {CHAINED}*{A}

10 Private joint - one enters (7) SOLDIER {SOLD{1}ER}

11 Time to argue about subversion (7) TREASON {T}{REASON}

12 Barbaric, cruel, hosts providing for the devil (7) LUCIFER {LUC{IF}ER*}

13 Able to jump into a run-down theatre (7) FLEAPIT {F{LEAP}IT}

14 Strangely neutral about extra input - It's the ultimate (2,4,5) NE PLUS ULTRA {NEUTRAL}* over {PLUS}

19 Figure about taking people in Delhi to a German city (7) COLOGNE {CO{LOG}NE}

21 Religious one - here at the centre, he was the first (7) PIONEER {PI}{ONE}{hERe}

23 Said to be different amid all the noise - it's contempt (7) DISDAIN {D{SAID*}IN}

25 Cocktail drinking - one with bottle opener is my brother (7) SIBLING {S{1}{Bo...e}LING}

26 Song Of Songs able to make you giggle, they say (8) CANTICLE {CAN}{(~tickle)TICLE}

27 Criminals somewhat received jail sentence (5) TRIAD {T{RI}AD}

DOWN

1   By housing the sick is able to get a water boiler (8) BILLYCAN {B{ILL}Y}{CAN}

2   Rescue whistle blower's hidden story (6) RELIEF {RE{LIE}F}

3   Yellowish green map, utilize again (10) CHARTREUSE {CHART}{REUSE}

4   Go away with these territory markers (4) SCAT [DD]

5   Makes sense since a state doubled input (4,2) ?D?S ?P ()

6   Lets out but we are caught in a fight (6) TUSSLE {T{US}SLE*}

8   Others follow the first lady to the top of the world (7) EVEREST {REST}<=>{EVE}

9   Come together as one, close to one (5) UNITE {UNIT}{onE}

13 Rear houses empty from top to bottom bed (4-6) FOUR-POSTER {F{(-p)OUR(+p)P}OSTER}

15 Show servant with worker (7) PAGEANT {PAGE}{ANT}

16 Copy right - it provided a welcome drink (8) APERITIF {APE}{R}{IT}{IF}

17 They're highly reactive like the odd adopted child (5) ACIDS {A{ChIlD}S} Letter pick indicator wrongly placed

18 Starts first in Delhi - internal set up is against congress (6) FRIGID {Fi..t}{In}{De..i} over {RIG}

20 Rascal masquerading as an old sailor (6) LASCAR*

22 Gold coins - where are they in circulation (6) ORBITS {OR BITS}

24 Not all electronic equipment is good (4) NICE [T]

Reference List

Time = T, People in Delhi = LOG, Religious = PI, Right = R, Gold = OR