Satyen Nabar's Sun Spl analysed

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Friday, 20 March 2026

No 14746, Friday 20 Mar 2026, Vidwan

Rangoli by Gowri
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ACROSS
9   A militarist NATO resulting in dictatorship (15) TOTALITARIANISM*
10 House girl used to be hot? Nonsense! (7) HOGWASH {HO}{G}{WAS}{H} House/Ho?
12 Not under current coverage of France, Greece island gets evacuated (3-4) OFF-GRID {OF}{F}{GR}{Is..nD}
13 Assortment of best retreats with religious instruction after rain (9) POTPOURRI {TOP<=} and {RI}<=>{POUR}
14 Mother! Clear the decks! (5) EARTH [T]
15 Bit unusual! Guys coming before time! (7) ODDMENT {ODD}{MEN}{T}
18 Cosy retreats in heavily armed chopper (7) GUNSHIP {SNUG<=}{HIP}
21 Sharp strong beer? Right! (5) ALERT {ALE}{RT} Why 'strong'?
23 Father! Clean Spooner's line carrying vital liquid! (5,4) WATER PIPE (pater wipe to water pipe)
25 Get discouraged as pride crumbles (7)  DESPAIR*
26 Test pile, lacks one for instance (7) EXAMPLE {EXAM}{PiLE}
29 Entertaining team and broken records for those following basics too literally! (15) FUNDAMENTALISTS {FUN}{TEAM+AND}*{LISTS}

DOWN
1   Impress and get without force (4) ETCH fETCH
2   Bachelor's field is endless (4) STAG STAGe
3   Bare cola cocktail for a tuna (8) ALBACORE*
4   Some sweet cherries for one making good impressions! (6) ETCHER [T] Why 'good'?
5   Moody sibling, ignoring cold, writing software (8) BROODING {BRO}{cODING}
6   Draw feminine force in real shapes (6) RAFFLE {RA{F}{F}LE*}
7   Shifted her chair for high priest (8) HIERARCH*
8   Like having thick raised joint at centre of a vessel (8) AMIDSHIP {A{DIM<=}S}{HIP}
11 Form of ordinary emptiness (5) OVOID {O}{VOID}
15 Fitfully switch positions (2,3,3) ON AND OFF [C&DD]
16 Dead urgent! Prince going out for a dip! (8) DRESSING {D}{pRESSING}
17 Stopped advancement of abnormal growth in the delta (8) THWARTED {WART} in {THE}{D}
19 Up early in the day all year, as usual (8) NORMALLY {MORN}*{ALL}{Y}
20 First politician to regularly deal and push (5) IMPEL {1}{MP}{dEaL}
22 The AA regularly talk about something that creates immersive drinking experience (3,3) TEA BAG {ThE}{aA}{GAB<=}
24 Compact essay about Hoover (6) TREATY {TR{EAT}Y}
27 Present state (4) POSE [DD]
28 Some cite as example of simplicity (4) EASE [T]

Reference List
Girl = G, Hot = H, France = F, Greece = GR, Religious Instruction = RI, Time = T, Righ = RT, Force = F, Cold = C, Feminine = F, Thick = DIM, Ordinary = O, Dead = D, Prince = P, Delta = D

at

64 comments:

  1. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 07:25


    10A Hogwash=nonsense
    Ho(house)+g(girl)+ was(used to be)+ h(hot)
    13A, Pot pouri
    Assortment=definition
    Best(top) retreats mean top<pot
    Religious Instruction(i), after rain(rain=pour)
    So, pot+pour+i
    14A, Earth
    Mother=earth, ship
    Earth is often referred to as Mother earth
    Clear the decks is to clear the ship's deck)
    5D, Brooding
    SIBLING (BRO),
    writing software=coding(minus c=oding)
    Ignoring cold means -c(cold)
    So, bro+oding=brooding
    Moody=definition
    6D Raffle
    Raffle is a draw, sweepstake,.lottery etc
    Feminine(f), force(f) +
    F+f+real=Raffle
    Shapes is indicator

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 09:13

      13A- Your solution contains only 8 letters but enu is 9. Relook.

      Delete
    2. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 09:47

      Addition( correction) to13 A,
      Pot pourri
      Assortment=definition
      Best(top) retreats mean top<pot
      Religious Instruction(RI), after rain(rain=pour)
      So, pot+pour+ri (9)

      Delete
  2. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 07:25

    Good Morning Everyone here

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sathia20 March 2026 at 07:31

    No TH today in Bangalore. Is it possible to make the grid in interactive form ( as available on Sunday) so that it can be solved by people residing in Bangalore.
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 09:17

      Pl.send me your mail ID

      Delete
    2. Devi Prasad20 March 2026 at 09:20

      I drew it on paper.

      Delete
    3. Sathia20 March 2026 at 10:03

      vmsathian@gmail.com is my email id.
      Sathia

      Delete
    4. Sathia20 March 2026 at 10:38

      Thanks Paddy. The Attachments are in lite files and my iPhone is not able to open it.How to do it?
      Sathia

      Delete
    5. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 11:49

      Sree Sree is the expert.

      Delete
  4. Sathia20 March 2026 at 07:33

    Nice Rangoli by Gowri.
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 07:42

    Ayyo! Sorry that you missed it in B' lore my friend. Anyway, you lead us from behind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sathia20 March 2026 at 07:57

      Thanks.
      But pl. check 14A, it appears as T(hidden). Just saw the clue and felt you missed that solution is hidden.
      Sathia

      Delete
    2. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 09:19

      An idiom_ it means to remove obstacles- and originated from sailors clearing ship's decks( clear the ground for action). Mother=earth

      Delete
    3. Sathia20 March 2026 at 09:55

      No. If you look at the clue,
      Mother =earth
      Inside the clue, cl(ear th)e decks.
      Solution Earth is hidden.
      Sathia

      Delete
    4. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 10:52

      Oh, yes

      Delete
  6. Suresh M S20 March 2026 at 08:22

    1D ETCH = impress {get FETCH -F force}
    3D ALBACORE = kind of tuna {BARE COLA anagram}
    4D ETCHER = One making impressions { sweET CHERries, telescopic}
    15D ON AND OFF = fit fully/ Switch positions{DD}
    8D AMIDSHIP = centre of vessel {like AS having thick DIM< raised + HIP joint}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 09:12

      8D, Amidship(s) is the central, mid part of a ship or Air craft.
      I thought this way:
      Centre (mid) +a+ ship(vessels)
      =AMIDSHIP
      Raised joint suggests that 'a' should come first.
      Even, 'thick raised' could mean
      plaques, bumps, or scars that are elevated above the skin's surface.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 09:19

      Solution is right but not the anno. Find the joint and the rest is easy.

      Delete
    3. Steadyhands9220 March 2026 at 10:00

      8D. Like = as, centre =mid, joint=hip. Amidship.

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 10:51

      You should put it as A (mid)S hip.
      Having is the indicator to put 'mid' in a....s

      Delete
    5. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 10:53

      Also, thick= Dim & thick raised is dim=<

      Delete
  7. Kvegee20 March 2026 at 08:47

    9Ac Totalitarianism- anagram ofA militarist NATO - Dictatorship
    25D - Despair - anagram of as pride - Get discouraged
    26D - Example - Test(exam) & p(i)le - for instance
    28 D - Ease- cite as example - simplicity
    4D - Etcher - one making good impression

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brajesh20 March 2026 at 09:10

    20d impel - push First I Politician MP dEaL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Brajesh20 March 2026 at 09:17

    7d Hierarch - high priest from anagram of her chair

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brajesh20 March 2026 at 09:22

    17 d Thwarted- stopped from abnormal growth - wart , THE Delta anagram

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jacob Brahmakulam20 March 2026 at 10:49

      read the clue again. there is no anagram here.

      Delete
  11. Brajesh20 March 2026 at 09:26

    19d normally - as usual - NORM+ALL Year

    ReplyDelete
  12. Deepak20 March 2026 at 10:02

    9 ac totalitarianism anagram of A militarist NATO

    ReplyDelete
  13. Steadyhands9220 March 2026 at 10:14

    11D. OVOID. Ordinary and emptiness=void. Form= OVOID
    19.A. ODDMENT. unusual=odd, guys=men and T from Time. Bit= ODDMENT

    ReplyDelete
  14. Murali20 March 2026 at 10:18

    21a ALERT = sharp
    strong beer - ale
    right - rt
    23a WATER PIPE - line carrying vital liquid
    from spooners father wipe

    ReplyDelete
  15. Steadyhands9220 March 2026 at 10:30

    29A. FUNDAMENTALISTS. Entertaining= fun. Anagram of team and. Broken is anagram indicator. Records= lists. Those following basics too literally are fundamentalists.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Murali20 March 2026 at 10:33

    2d stag - bachelor
    endless field - (stage -e )

    ReplyDelete
  17. Steadyhands9220 March 2026 at 10:42

    22.D. TEA BAG. ThE aA (regularly indicates alternate letter). Talk about something GAB<--- . I thought immersive acts as double indicator for word reversal and the solution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 11:44

      IMO, 'Immersive drinking experience' is the def.

      Delete
  18. Ananda Rao Keerty20 March 2026 at 10:54

    9.ac. Totalitarianism. Rearranging letters from ' militarist NATO'
    10.ac. Hogwash. Ho(use)+g(irl)+was(used to be)+h(ot)
    1.dn. Etch. Fetch - f ( without force)
    3.dn. Albacore Rearranging letters from ' bare cola'.
    4.dn. Etcher. (Swe)et+cher(ries)

    ReplyDelete
  19. D N M Rao20 March 2026 at 11:00

    12Ac OFF GRID - {OF}{F}{GR}{I(slan)D}

    ReplyDelete
  20. Devi Prasad20 March 2026 at 11:00

    24D:treaty=compact
    essay(try) about hoover(eat)
    {tr(eat)y}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 11:48

      I think 'to hoover' mean the removal of dirt by vacuum cleaner as it sucks up. Can we take it as eat as well? There is a famous brand too, right ?
      Alternately, after the famous(London Naval Treaty) Hoover , president of US, can we take it as treaty?

      Delete
    2. Mandagondi Naresh20 March 2026 at 11:52

      As a phrasal verb ' to hoover up' , it does mean eat, eat quickly and in large quantities.

      Delete
  21. Jacob Brahmakulam20 March 2026 at 11:00

    12a OFF-GRID; not under current coverage; OF F(France) GR(Greek) I....D

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jacob Brahmakulam20 March 2026 at 11:01

    16d DRESSING; dip; D (p)RESSING

    ReplyDelete
  23. Remy20 March 2026 at 11:01

    27 ac pose-dd

    ReplyDelete
  24. AJ20 March 2026 at 11:02

    27d POSE: present, state

    ReplyDelete
  25. Mukundala Balasubramanyam20 March 2026 at 11:08

    18a : GUNSHIP (SNUG<=)(HIP)
    Cosy : SNUG
    Retreats : Reversal ind
    In : HIP
    Defn : Heavily armed chopper

    ReplyDelete
  26. AJ20 March 2026 at 11:08

    Repl. For 27d
    18a GUNSHIP: armed heavily
    Cody retreat: SNUG<= Guns
    SHIP: chopper

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gowri20 March 2026 at 22:45

      Cosy reverse is SNUG
      In is HIP.
      Heavily armed chopper is def - GUNSHIP.

      Delete
    2. Gowri20 March 2026 at 22:46

      Cosy reverse is GUNS

      Delete
  27. AJ20 March 2026 at 11:09

    Read cosy for typo: cody

    ReplyDelete
  28. Padmanabhan20 March 2026 at 11:46

    14A- Earth- Mother- clEAR THe- T- Decks is the indicator.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sree Sree20 March 2026 at 17:45

    7a think we had discussed long time back.
    ho is UK and US postal abbrievation for house
    21a setters quirk! Ale is strong beer, as compared to Larger!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Kiran20 March 2026 at 18:27

    In 19d, is (morn)* allowed ? Because it would become a double anagram..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree20 March 2026 at 19:19

      No. I think it's reversal gone wrong.

      Delete
    2. Gowri20 March 2026 at 22:47

      There is no anagrind. Up was meant to be reversal but error in clue is what I feel.

      Delete
  31. Gowri20 March 2026 at 22:48

    Very easy today inspite of the lo....ng anagrams.
    My fav
    POTPOURRI, BROODING, TEA BAG.
    Thanx!

    ReplyDelete

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