Sunday 08 Mar 2026, IIT (M) WGC, IIT (M) Crossie Open, KrisKross

Announcing the Crossie Open 2026 - Cryptic Crossword competition conducted by the Word Games Club of IIT Madras. It is on March 8th, 2026 at the IIT Madras campus, and I will be hosting it this year.

Registrations are now open - please use this link (google form) to register.

https://forms.gle/eZivoahrNcwt3pTdA

No 14731, Tuesday 03 Mar 2026, Afterdark

Solution to 4D 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   One's annoyed with article on commission being inclusive (6-3-5) ACROSS-THE-BOARD {A}{CROSS}{THE}{BOARD}

10 Transport for English behind schedule (5) ELATE {E}{LATE}

11 So, bit of onion in soup makes it deadly (9) POISONOUS {SO+On..n+IN+SOUP}* 

12 Animal's range? Respected reportedly (3,4) ROE DEER {(~row dear)ROE DEER}

13 Institute keeps examiner out, being more impatient (7) TESTIER {TEST{I}ER}

14 Instructions to get primarily strong muscles (5) SPECS {St...g}{PECS}

16 Holmium put in beakers to boil and make a car part (5,4) BRAKE SHOE {HO} in {BEAKERS}*

19 Deceptive food, one tends to retire hungry (9) DISHONEST {DISH}{ONE}{TendS<=} 

20 Discussion is favouring Trump essentially (5) FORUM {FOR}{trUMp}

22 Once, quote right for a small generator (7) EXCITER {EX}{CITE}{R}

25 Perhaps, physiotherapist's service collects money for the most part (7) MASSEUR {MASS}{EURo}

27 Henry is in race, (tip) to make to final contenders (9) SHORTLIST {S{H}ORT}{LIST}

28 Deceive, bring out daughter and escape (5) ELUDE dELUDE

29 Detective Inspector's date becomes a disaster (14) DISAPPOINTMENT {DI'S}{APPOINTMENT}

DOWN

2   Persistent second defendant in trial contacted the French solicitor initially (9) CEASELESS {C{dEf...t}ASE}{{LES}{So...r}

3   Overweight CM becomes hostile (5) OBESE {OBESE+CM}*=BECOMES [CA]

4   Distinct story by Stokes on 5th wicket (9) S?P?R?B?E (Addendum - SEPARABLE {PARABLE}<=>{S}{w..kEt}- See comments)

5   One in army gets raise (5) HOIST {HO{1}ST}

6   Look, she along with BF assembles a piece of furniture (9) BOOKSHELF {LOOK+SHE+BF}*

7   Sauce is first class with oil floating (5) AIOLI {A1}{OIL*}

8   Some grade servers to justify (7) DESERVE [T]

9   Retired school teacher's cot in the front is in pieces (6) DEBRIS {SIR}{BED}<=

15 Say, baseball player is in small bar (5-4) SHORT-STOP {SHORT}{STOP}

17 Relative nearly outside plant to get a robot (9) AUTOMATON {AU{TOMATO}Nt}

18 Buffoon cooks quail, hen and some ribs (9) HARLEQUIN {QUAIL+HEN+Ribs}*

19 Decorated police officer absent; strayed (7) DRESSED DigRESSED

21 Felt-tipped pen located on book by Henry regularly (6) MARKER {MARK}{hEnRy}

23 Hacks skip poking into chronicles lacking substance (5) CHOPS {Ch...{HOP}...eS}

24 Greek character traps smart animal (5) RHINO {RH{IN}O}

26 Son leading side with enthusiasm (5) STEAM {S}{TEAM}

Reference List

English = E, Institute = I, Once = EX, Right = R, Henry = H, Daughter = D, The in French = LES, Son = S

No 14730, Monday 02 Mar 2026, KrisKross

Solution to 4D 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   European rule about controlling disorder (8) ROMANIAN {R}{O{MANIA}N}

5   Make bile go away (6) OBLIGE* 

9   Think of subordinate - one tense and worried (8) COGITATE {COG}{1}{T}{ATE}

10 Most safe to consume English drink (6) COFFEE {COFFEr} over {E}

12 Fully renovated hotel hit by onset of tempest (2,3,4) TO THE HILT {HOTEL+HIT}*{Te...t}

13 Feel sorry for killing river bird (5) EGRET rEGRET

14 Infection from dust? Yes (4) STYE [T]

16 Drive around short mountain to reach green light (2-5) GO-AHEAD {GOA{HEAp}D}

19 Ponder about complex part of maths equation (7) OPERAND {PONDER+A}*

21 Box daughter lost in hut (4) LOGE LOdGE

24 Joseph's eldest son, universe's saviour primarily! (5) JESUS Acrostic &lit

25 General requests drop of alcohol to be avoided in ship, tossing and turning (9) SLEEPLESS {S{LEE}{PLEaS}S}

27 Screen in the auditorium is an electronic device (6) SENSOR (~censor)

28 Duke dies sadly, having personal problem (8) DOWNSIDE {D}{DIES*} over {OWN}

29 Lives with bigoted people, shunning society (6) EXISTS sEXISTS

30 So hot... under fan for cover (8) ENSHROUD {SO+H+UNDER}*

DOWN

1   Say aloud: "Replace power with time in formula" (6) RECITE RECI(-p+t)TE

2   Powerful man scores four - cutting square finally (6) MIGHTY {M}{eIGHTY}

3   Salt damaged retina, mostly (5) NITRE RETINa*

4   On both sides of compound, raise deciduous trees initially (7) A?T?I?E (Addendum - ASTRIDE {RAISE+De...s+Tr..s}* - See comments)

6   Report describing old, more explosive missile (9) BOOMERANG {B{O}{MORE*}ANG}

7   Popular one-time singer? (8) INFORMER {IN}{FORMER}

8   Following program, party leader leaving at 6 p.m. say (8) EVENTIDE {EVENT}{sIDE} 

11 Men only raise guns (4) STAG<=

15 Coach losing one football, say, in ship (9) TRANSPORT {TRAiN}{SPORT}

17 Son's boring project - going through tome, struggling to get the perfect word (3,5) MOT JUSTE {JU{S}T} in {TOME*}

18 After endless suffering, collapse near India's capital (8) HELSINKI {HELl}{SINK}{I}

20 Run a little (4) DASH [DD]

21 Rest of German song now remixed (3-4) LIE-DOWN {LIED}{NOW*}

22 Come running to welcome team in country (6) MEXICO {ME{XI}CO*}

23 Section of most endearing city (6) OSTEND [T]

26 Energy drink made from fruit (5) PUNCH [DD]

Reference List

Rule = R, About = ON, Tense = T, English = E, River = R, About A, Daughter = D, Ship = SS, Duke = D, Society = S, Hot = H, Power = P, Time = T, Man = M, Four scores = EIGHTY, Old = O, Popular = IN, Son = S, India = I

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 45, Sunday 01 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

7   Fit and resize loose clothing/uniform (7) SEIZURE {SEIZ{U}RE*}

8   Lead planet with incomplete ring of light (7) MARSHAL {MARS}{HALo}

10 High heel tilts toe unfortunately (8) STILETTO*

11 Flower had around 51 beads at the centre (6) DAHLIA {HAD}*{LI}{beAds}

12 He's treading unsteadily being myopic! (11) NEARSIGHTED*

15 Grouse meat (4) BEEF [DD]

17 Musical hosted by Billy Rich (5) LYRIC [T]

18 Heavy Metal guitarist, who plays solos and riffs (4) LEAD [DD]

19 Buy a steeple, perhaps for rest of grace (6-5) BEAUTY-SLEEP*

22 In situ valuation for a small state (6) TUVALU [T]

23 Scraps of shells covering a button on keyboard (8) RESCINDS {R{ESC}INDS}

25 Team adopts uniform, one about topping oneself (7) SUICIDE {S{U}{1}{C}IDE}

26 Dream about one acquiring large car company (7) DAIMLER {DA{1}M{L}ER*}

DOWN

1   Despatched purchased stolen goods, fellow escapes getting punished (9) SENTENCED {SENT}{fENCED}

2   Plant a feverish zeal with hint of anarchism (6) AZALEA {A}{ZEAL*}{An...m}

3   To run or to basically jog (4) TROT Acrostic

4   Gauges small horse cart returning with parasites (10) YARDSTICKS {S+DRAY}<={TICKS}

5   Old shape, perhaps of a flowering plant (8) ASPHODEL*

6   Fellow on island, cold and feverish! (5) MANIC {MAN}{I}{C}

9   Spooner's mistake spotters or lyricists (11) SONGWRITERS (~wrong sighters to songwriters)

13 Gauls in mad rush for an English salad (10) SALMAGUNDI*

14 Epic dream about living in the present (5,4) CARPE DIEM*

16 Following old bunch carrying wife's time piece (8) FOBWATCH {F}{O}{B{W}ATCH}

20 Mystery topaz, unravelled for top magazine (6) ENIGMA {ENIGMA+TOPAZ}*=TOP MAGAZINE [CA]

21 Peaty soil like Arabian dish, millions consumed (5) HUMUS {HUMmUS}

24 No European servant for a European (4) SLAV SLAVe

Reference List

Uniform = U, 51 = LI, About = C, Large = L, Fellow = F, Small = S, Horse cart = DRAY, Island = I, Cold = C, Following = F, Old = O, Wife = W, Millions = M, European = E