Monday, 23 March 2026

No 14748, Monday 23 Mar 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 1A 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   Think about Rose these days? (6) W?N?E? (Addendum - WONDER {RED}{NOW}<= - See comments)
4   Place to drink wine is off limits (6) BARRED {BAR}{RED}
8   Couple in difficulty abandons daughter (7) HARNESS HARdNESS
9   Part of legend is not a lie perhaps (7) TOENAIL*
11 Great in Rock? (3,7) RED GRANITE {GREAT+IN}* [RA]
12 Othello's greatest antagonist is basically twisted (4) IAGO Acrostic<= &lit
13 Means of communication that's out of reach in Dindigul (5) HINDI [T]
14 Part of club is super cool according to the Reverend (8) HANDGRIP (grand hip to handgrip)
16 One regularly wetting the bed? (8) GARDENER [CD]
18 Break eggs from one end to the other (5) SURGE (+s)SURGE(-s)
20 First of all, bro, men want sexy cars (1,1,1,1) B M W S Acrostic
21 Negotiates with members involved in insurance (6,4) CLIMBS OVER {C{LIMBS}OVER}
23 Anybody could be putting tight noose around me (7) SOMEONE {SO{ME}ONE*}
24 Develop an American company, say (7) GESTATE {GE}{STATE}
25 Explosive report mainly implicates judge (6) TETRYL {TE{TRY}Ll}
26 Order a fancy big fan (6) ADORER*

DOWN
1   Heard you and I have to make up (5) WEAVE {WE'VE}
2   Figure of dragon on a gong (7) NONAGON [T]
3   Perhaps Korean man wanting anaesthesia is treated (4,5) EAST ASIAN ANAESTheSIA*
5   Pay when you eat lunch (5) ATONE {AT ONE}
6   Washing hair in Singapore sucks! (7) RINSING [T]
7   Timid one initially gets beaten in prison (5,4) DOING TIME {TIMID+ONE+Gets}*
10 A thin girl injured in a minor fall (5,4) LIGHT RAIN*
13 Ahem...er... I can explain! (4,2,3) HEAR ME OUT {AHEM+ER}* [RA]
15 Spooner's fans want the effect of a good punch perhaps (9) NOSEBLEED (blows need to nosebleed)
17 Locked up Napoleon in America perhaps (7) DESSERT<=
19 One is naturally alarming (7) ROOSTER [CD]
21 What makes the coating of confectionery sweet? (5) CANDY {Co...rY(C and Y)} Semi&lit
22 This might keep you warm in East End's diner (5) EATER (~heater)

Reference List
Daughter = D

25 comments:

  1. 1a WONDER=think
    RED=rose,NOW=these days
    about-reversal indicator
    RED<=>NOW

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  2. Great CW by Gridzilla!!!
    Greater 9A.
    Cryptic continues- anyone (like me?) wondered why a toenail is part of a Legend?

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  3. Adorer, Gardener.....RA
    were some of the Aha moments.
    Thank you for a vigorous start.

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  4. Good CW by Gridzilla. 16A is my COD.
    Sathia

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  5. Great grid Samit. Loved it. Ravi Ramanan (RR)

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    Replies
    1. Good. RR is now known as Ravi. Goid to now better!

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Yes Paddy, i added my surname to my first name to differentiate from so many Ravis present in various groups. RR is the 'cryptic' abbreviation for the blog.😀

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  6. Great clues! Very entertaining!

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  7. Lovely grid, Samit. Enjoyed solving 😊

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  8. Couldn’t find any references for locked meaning tress-ed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tressed

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  9. Thanks! I was looking for locked vs tressed. Locks = tresses is known.

    ReplyDelete

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