Friday, 6 March 2026

No 14734, Friday 06 Mar 2026, Dr. X

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   Truth about life-changing cosmetic procedure (8)
5   Father welcoming women with fruit (6)
10 Special venture to host grand parade (7)
11 See 18
12 Sexually explicit commercial with posh Latin model (5)
13 Infernal rogue's back - extremes of tension around neighbourhood (9)
14 Minister is upset about suspension (12)
18 & 11 Instruction by census taker to not take things lying down? Make one's views known! (5,2,3,2,7)
21 Sway and twirl, drinking Old Monk primarily at home (9)
23 Rested in academy during period of fasting (5)
24 Start to oppose extremely vile scheme for excessive utilisation (7)
25 Lacking energy entirely, moving in a sluggish manner (7)
26 Have a meal in a restaurant in English market around afternoon (3,3)
27 Worried about wild dingoes (8)

DOWN
1   Thief is calmly stealing money (6)
2  Hint about a queen's group of hired applauders (6)
3   Delhi gent exercised and became less heavy (9)
4   Emergency specialist is strong in spirit, beginning to swiftly examine (5,9)
6   Relaxed at centre after a massage in island country (5)
7   Way jerk dominates wife - ultimately deplorable (8)
8   Expanding section outside island retreat (8)
9   Boy having anxiety with master, say, backing group spreading ominous rumours (14)
15 Junior British officer in passenger vehicle, back on shift by noon (9)
16 Was once cruelly ousted by Baron and Earl (4,2,2)
17 Most crazy star tackles member insolently at premiere (8)
19 Go to drink up Italian liqueur (6)
20 Remained rock-steady (6)
22 Article about uranium and ruthenium in island nation (5)  

Posted by at
Labels: ,

43 comments:

  1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 08:00

    1D, Fiscal , ThieF IS CALmly stealing money
    Money (def), Money is related to fiscal, Tax. Stealing is indicator.
    3D Lightened
    Delhi +Gent= Lightened
    Exercised (indicator of anagram)
    Less heavy (def)
    14A Intermission
    Suspension (def)
    Minister+is+on(about)
    Upset (indicator)
    1A Facelift
    Truth(fact)+ life(life-changing, here hyphen is also a clue, changing is indicator)
    Cosmetic procedure (def)
    3A, Paw Paw( A fruit) fruit is definition
    Father(pa), welcoming (indicator) women(w): PAW
    May be welcoming women with does mean we should use Paw a second time
    Paw paw( Asimina triloba,American fruit)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan6 March 2026 at 09:21

      Father is Papa and women (plural is ww)

      Delete
    2. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 09:36

      Nice, done. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. Surendra6 March 2026 at 09:59

      I think it is
      Father - Papa
      Welcoming- containment ind
      Women -w
      With- w
      Pa(w)pa w

      Delete
  2. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:04

    12A - ADULT - Sexually explicit; AD -commercial; U - posh; (L)atin; T - model

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:10

      24A - OVERAGE - Excessive utilization; (O)ppose V..E RAGE - scheme

      Delete
    2. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:14

      3D - LIGHTENED - Less heavy; {DELHI GENT} anagrid - exercised

      Delete
    3. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:17

      6D - ARUBA - Island country; A RUB (massage) relAxed

      Delete
    4. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:21

      16D - USED TO BE - Was once; {OUSTED}{B}{E} anagrid - cruelly

      Delete
    5. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:29

      In lieu of 3D answered above
      22D - NAURU - Island nation; <=AN (article) U(ranium) RU(thenium)

      Delete
    6. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 08:45

      6D, I think this way,
      Island country(Aruba, def.)
      Aruba is a constiuent country in Netherlands.
      A massage( a rub)
      After(indicator)
      Relaxed at Centre means relAxed(a is to be extracted this way)
      Now, we place it (a)after a rub
      A+rub+ a=Aruba

      Delete
    7. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:54

      24A - Relooked this as the crossing did not match. OVERUSE - Excessive utilization; (O)ppose, V….E, RUSE - scheme
      Apologies

      Delete
    8. Shay6 March 2026 at 08:56

      Thank you, Naresh

      Delete
    9. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 09:20

      Yes, overuse matches grids 24A, 22D and 26A.

      Delete
  3. Brajesh6 March 2026 at 08:47

    24a overuse - excessive utilisation Opposition Extremely Vile RUSE- SCHEME anagram of OEVRUSE

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dr Hareendranath6 March 2026 at 08:48

    13a TARTAREAN = infernal
    rogue back=RAT<
    extremes of (T)ensio(N)
    neighborhood =AREA
    around, indicator

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ananda Rao Keerty6 March 2026 at 08:58

    1ac. Facelift. Fact (truth) + life. and
    rearranging the letters.
    24.ac. Overuse. O(ver) + v(il)e + ruse
    (scheme )
    3.dn. Lightened. Rearranging letters from ' Delhi gent'
    16.dn.Used to be. Ousted + B(aron) + E(arl) and rearranging the letters.
    20.dn. Stayed. Rearranging letters from 'steady'

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brajesh6 March 2026 at 09:02

    25a inertly- sluggish manner from anagram of entirely- e

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 09:25

      Lacking(L) energy entirely (- energ=y), moving (inert= inertia)moving in a sluggish manner is definition
      Is this okay?.just filled it.
      Done

      Delete
  7. Brajesh6 March 2026 at 09:08

    27 a agonised - worried from A bout DINGOES anagram

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dr Hareendranath6 March 2026 at 09:19

    18a, 11a STAND UP AND BE ;COUNTED
    not lying down=stand up
    and be counted=instruction by census taker

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dr Hareendranath6 March 2026 at 09:21

    Def:make one's views known

    ReplyDelete
  10. N.Srikanth6 March 2026 at 10:20

    21A Dominance for sway. Dance (twirl) takes in (drinks) OM (starting letters of Old and Monk) and in (at home). d om in ance
    23A Leant for rested. a(academy) goes inside(during hints that) lent(Period of fasting). LE a NT
    2D. Claque for a group of hired applauders. Clue (hint) surrounds (about) a and Q(Queen). CL a Q UE.

    ReplyDelete
  11. N.Srikanth6 March 2026 at 10:23

    8D. Widening for expanding. Wing (section) surrounds (outside) i(island) and den (retreat). W i den ing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. N.Srikanth6 March 2026 at 10:27

    17D. Barmiest for most crazy. Best includes(tackles) arm(member, part of the body) and i(insolently at premiere hints to take the first letter of premiere). B arm i est.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chandrasekaran Swaminathan6 March 2026 at 10:30

    23 A
    Rested = LEANT
    Period of fasting = LENT
    Academy = A
    During = containment Indicator
    Rested = LE A NT = LEANT

    26 A
    Have a meal in the restaurant = EAT OUT
    English = E
    Market= TOUT
    Afternoon = A
    Around = containment Indicator
    Have a meal in the restaurant t = E A TOUT = EATOUT

    7 D
    Deplorable = PATHETIC
    Way = PATH
    Jerk = TIC
    Ultimately = Last word selector for fodder "wif E "
    Dominates = Containment Indicator
    Deplorable = PATH E TIC = PATHETIC

    8 D Expanding = WIDENING
    Section = WING
    Island = I
    Retreat = DEN
    Outside = containment Indicator
    Xpanding = W I DEN ING = WIDEN8NG

    15 D
    Junior British Officer = SUBALTERN
    Passenger vehicle = BUS
    Back = Reversal Indicator
    BUS II SUB
    Shift = ALTER
    Noon = N
    Junior British Officer = SUB ALTER N = SUBALTERN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:04

      Everything is okay but somehow I felt that
      Bus(passenger vehicle)
      It becomes SUB( since back is Reversl Indicator)
      After Noon=AN
      Junior British Officer ( Lt=Lieutenant) and Er( Royal, British)
      But, your annotation is quietly accepted.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan6 March 2026 at 12:14

      There is no 'afternoon' in the clue.

      Delete
    3. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:26

      By noon, drove me. N is (noon)Correct. Done

      Delete
    4. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:26

      By noon, drove me. N is (noon)Correct. Done

      Delete
  14. D N M Rao6 March 2026 at 11:00

    9Dn SCAREMONGERING - {{S{CARE}{M}ON}{EG<=}{RING}}

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sathia6 March 2026 at 11:00

    19D: liqueur = pastis
    Go is pass
    To drink container indicator
    Up Italian is <it
    Hence, ( pas(Ti)s)
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:34

      Ok, slightly confused with Italian liqueur as ' pastis' is a popular French apertif.
      So, just to take Italian Up(it>ti)
      Excellent!

      Delete
  16. Devi Prasad6 March 2026 at 11:06

    10A:swagger=parade
    special(s), venture(wager) to host(containment ind.) grand(g)
    {(s)wag(g)er}

    ReplyDelete
  17. AJ6 March 2026 at 11:08

    9d SCARE MONGERING: spreading ominous rumours
    S( CARE: anxiety)( M: master)ON (GE: say, eg backing) RING: group
    SON: boy

    ReplyDelete
  18. Chandrasekaran Swaminathan6 March 2026 at 11:09

    In Lieu Of = 23 A

    10 A
    Parade = SWAGGER
    Special = S
    Venture = WAGER
    Grand = G
    To Host = Containment Indicator for fodder " G rand "
    Parade = S WAG G ER = SWAGGER

    ReplyDelete
  19. H Ramachandran6 March 2026 at 11:29

    4A FIRST RESPONDER =. Emergency specialist
    FIRE. =. Spirit
    STR. =. Strong
    S. =. Beginning to Swiftly
    PONDER =. Examine
    In. = Insert Ind for STR
    FIR+ST R+E+S+PONDER

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jacob Brahmakulam6 March 2026 at 11:56

    4d FIRST RESPONDER; Emergency Specialist; FIR(STR)E Swi.... PONDER; fire = spirit; not sure if STR is a crossword-legit abbreviation for STRONG;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:10

      Have similar concern
      Just referred Tim Moorey's list.

      https://www.timmoorey.com/pdfs/abbreviations.pdf

      Delete
  21. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:20

    Even in his book, 'How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords?', ST does mean street, stone.
    STR, isn't listed.
    Let there be some light, now !

    ReplyDelete
  22. Chandrasekaran Swaminathan6 March 2026 at 12:30

    In Lieu of : 10 A

    4 D
    Emergency Specialist = FIRST RESPONDER
    Strong = F
    Spirit = STIR
    In= Inclusion Indicator
    F IRST
    Beginning = RE
    Swiftly = S
    Examine = PONDER
    Emergency specialist = F IRST RE S PONDER = FIRST RESPONDER

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh6 March 2026 at 12:35

      Yes sir Chandrasekharan.
      I'm convinced fully.
      Done

      Delete

deepakgita@gmail.com

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)