No 14781, Thursday 30 Apr 2026, Arden

Solution to 9D 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   Money kept in her custody is returned (5) SUCRE [T<=]

7   Talk about bad day - usually they all start being stubborn (8) OBDURATE {O{Bad}{Day}{Us...y}RATE}

10 The French flyer is a rogue (7) LADRONE {LA}{DRONE}

11 Opposing win in a way (7) AGAINST {A}{GAIN}{ST}

12 Little over bearing and cunning (7) SLEIGHT {SL{E}IGHT}

13 Day a senior came back for a pigment (3,4) RED LEAD {D}{A}{ELDER}<=

14 Unearthed under ocean, perhaps a primitive craft (6,5) DUGOUT CANOE {DUGOUT}{OCEAN}*

19 Perfect example of pressure on a gas all around (7) PARAGON {P}{AR{A}GON}

21 Standard location detailed by Johnny-come-lately (7) PARVENU {PAR}{VENUe}

23 The billionaire glad to reclaim part of the country (7) ALGERIA [T<=]

25 Angered in other words (7) ENRAGED*

26 Man with idea is mournful (8) PLANGENT {GENT}<=>{PLAN}

27 One left out to burn (5) SINGE SINGlE

DOWN

1   A top detective is a junkie (4,4) ACID HEAD {A}{CID HEAD}

2   Setter over weight, carrying on with an Asian flower (6) MEKONG {ME}{K{ON}G}

3   With Teflon component rotate traffic sign (2,4,4) NO LEFT TURN {TEFLON}* [RA]

4   Some of the old Norse poems added up (4) EDDA [T<=]

5   One over hundred, pronto (2,4) AT ONCE {A{TON}CE}

6   "Band goes over the place" - that's sensational news! (6) SPLASH {S{PL}ASH}

8   Managed to involve staff subject (7) RWANDAN {R{WAND}AN}

9   Bossy breakdown analysis (5) ?T?D? (Addendum - STUDY {STUD}{Y} - See comments)

13 I reinspect distribution for the beneficiaries (10) RECIPIENTS*

15 Potty right in for a famous cosmonaut (7) GAGARIN {GAGA}{R}{IN}

16 Ginger worried about me coming out (8) EMERGING {GINGER}* over {ME}

17 Fight over catching river fish (5) SPRAT {SP{R}AT}

18 Trick used to get uniform breadth and defeat (6) SUBDUE {USED}* over {U}{B}

20 Delight with Royal Salute in the end (6) REGALE {REGAL}{s...tE}

22 Stop flipping at the top - it's most uncommon... (6) RAREST (-a)R(+a)AREST

24 ...stop short and claim (4) AVER AVERt

Reference List

The in French = LA, Way = ST(Street), Bearing = E(East), Day = D, Pressure = P, Standard = PAR, Left = L, Place = PL, Right = R, River = R, Uniform = U, Breadth = B

No 14780, Wednesday 29 Oct 2026, Arden

Solution to 22A 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   Had returned in disarray - kept gunners hidden, undetected (5,3,5) UNDER THE RADAR {HAD+RETURNED}* over {RA}

10 Imprisoned leader disposed of as he was indisposed (5) AILED jAILED

11 Flow rate on board can be solved (9) TREATABLE {RATE}*{TABLE}

12 Find out why active retired men run away (9) DETERMINE {rETIRED+MEN}*

13 Initially some study and leave (5) SCRAM {Some}{CRAM}

14 Moors' short reply to catch a thief in Delhi (7) ANCHORS {AN{CHOR}Swer}

16 Fancy marketing mantra adopted by a group (7) SUSPECT {S{USP}ECT}

18 A recluse accepts money and distributes it among the poor (7) ALMONER {A}{L{M}ONER} Semi&lit

20 Operator's tool to climb over parking line (7) SCALPEL {SCAL{P}E}{L}

22 Manage to get initial guarantee from bank (5) R?D?E (Addendum - RIDGE {RID{Gu...e}E} - See comments)

24 Close call for new grounding (4,5) NEAR THING {N}{EARTHING}

26 Operation was successful initially on family corruption (4,5) SKIN GRAFT {Su...l}{KIN}{GRAFT}

27 Leaders in Masjids are mainly selected to lead the prayers (5) IMAMS Acrostic Semi&lit

28 Possibly repairing core of the old airmail system (7,6) CARRIER PIGEON*

DOWN

2   Belonging to a family of the languages spoken in Egypt, nothing pertains to the ear (7) NILOTIC {NIL}{OTIC}

3   Deride angrily and admit it keeps you warm (9) EIDERDOWN {DERIDE}*{OWN}

4   Model suit tailored for one in Kigali, perhaps... (5) TUTSI {T}{SUIT}*

5   ...besides eating balanced square meal (9) ELEVENSES {EL{EVEN}SE}{S}

6   Wagers earlier in Spain (5) ANTES {ANTE}{S}

7   Egg plant - not in French restaurant (7) AUBERGE AUBERGinE

8   Help lift car up and down - others get a heart attack (7,6) CARDIAC ARREST {CAR}{AID<=}{CAR}{REST}

9   Worried old-timers got a medical specialist (13) DERMATOLOGIST*

15 Over time psychiatrist gets depreciation (9) SHRINKAGE {AGE}<=>{SHRINK}

17 Bird takes time - that's astonishing (9) STARTLING {S{TAR{T}LING}

19 Admire a bubbly wine (7) MADEIRA* 

21 Compatriot has no money upfront in India (7) PAISANO {NO}<=>{PAISA}

23 Keen to get inside a German university (5) EAGER [T]

25 Misbehave with law, having state support (3,2) ACT UP {ACT}{UP}

Reference List

Gunners = RA(Royal Artillery), Run = R, Thief in Hindi = CHOR, Marketing mantra = USP, Money = M, Parking = P, Line = L, New = N, Model = T, Square = S, Spain = S, Time = T

No 14779, Tuesday 28 Apr 2026, Crossant

Solution to 17D 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   Want runs in the end (6) DEARTH {DEA{R}TH}

4   After headers of Cristiano Ronaldo, supporters start going crazy (8) CRACKERS {Cr...o}{Ro...o}{bACKERS}

9   Did without common parking for hotel (6) SPARED S(-h+p)PARED

10 Mumbai Indians celebrity, reportedly aggrieved, eventually moved (8) MIGRATED {MI}{(~great)GRATE}{a...eD}

12 Stink from bit of rotten, unopened vegetable (4) REEK {Ro...n}{lEEK}

13 Initially unacceptable terms also accommodated in complete reversal (10) SOMERSAULT {Un...e+TERMS+ALSO}*

15 Convey to American leader and escalate a crisis (5,2,1,4) BRING TO A HEAD {BRING}{TO}{A}{HEAD}

18 Instruction before young member of family takes foreign trip (12) PRESCRIPTION {PRE}{SCION} over {TRIP}*

21 Keeps returning to dock around Ukrainian port (10) SEVASTOPOL {SAVES}{TO}{LOP<=}

22 Nag about missing half of practice (4) CARP PRACtice<=

24 Associates with criminal types (8) CONSORTS {CON}{SORTS}

25 Eggs in bird cage, nearly hundred in the beginning (6) CAVIAR {AVIARy}<=>{C}

26 Banks maybe refusing loans, primarily pinching American customers (3,5) END USERS {lEND{US}ERS}

27 Insists on letting out front part of roadside property (6) ASSETS ASSErTS

DOWN

1   Give details of small rudimentary dwelling engulfed by river (8) DESCRIBE {DE{S}{CRIB}E}

2   He's learned something that has no practical value (8) ACADEMIC [DD]

3   Openings for trained, reliable, electrical engineers in plant (4) TREE Acrostic

5   One way to get more space in the attic - make a lot of noise (5,3,4) RAISE THE ROOF [DD]

6   Cheats and complains about suffering hard times in the end (4,6) CARD SHARPS {CARPS} over {HARD+t..eS}*

7   Consumes drug and drink after a bit of temptation (4,2) EATS UP {E} and {SUP}<=>{A}{Te...n}

8   Dignified boy staying away from heated debates (6) SEDATE DEbATES*

11 Vehicle perhaps comes to outskirts of Raipur too (5,7) MOTOR SCOOTER {COMES+TO+Ra..uR+TOO}*

14 Rage so often produces violent people (10) AGGRESSORS {RAGE+SO}* [Letter Bank]

16 Agree on disposal of files implicating popular American (8) FINALISE {FILES}* over {IN}{A}

17 Produces fire and smoke basically (8) ?N?P?R?S ()

19 Korean rapper, revolutionary soul (6) PSYCHE {PSY}{CHE}

20 Balanced playing eleven - left out MSD finally (6) EVENED {ElEVEN}*{msD}

23 Girl failing to finish drink (4) LASS LASSi

Reference List

Runs = R, Parking = P, Hotel = H, American = A, Hundred = C, American = US, Small = S, Drug = E, Boy = B, Left = L

No 14778, Monday 27 Apr 2026, Mythical

Solution to 18D 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

8   Daughter & son expelled from Budapest oddly cheerful (6) UPBEAT BUdAPEsT*

9   Spooner's female animal sickens, sends away to destination by plane (8) AIRMAILS (~mare ails to airmails) 

10 Access transport (8) ENTRANCE [DD]

11 Roman God's mercurial nature's devoid of malice ultimately (6) SATURN NATUReS*

12 Reprimand student leader of institute at first and release (8) LIBERATE {BERATE}<=>{L}{In...e}

13 A lawyer limits information to items on the list (6) AGENDA {A}{GEN}{DA}

14 This worry duly affected young ladies (7) AGONISE {AGONISE+DULY}* = YOUNG LADIES [CA]

17 Study this site regularly for one working with canines (7) DENTIST {DEN}{ThIs+SiTe}

20 Spice container overturned by little woman (6) NUTMEG {TUN<=}{MEG}

22 Impressive old queen enthralled by drawing (8) TOWERING {TOW{ER}ING}

25 Appallingly, a scar seen around one part of the lung (3,3) AIR SAC {A+SCAR}* over {1}

26 Firm about basically selling off musical instrument (8) RESOLUTE {RE}{Se...g}{Off}{LUTE}

27 Major celebrity playing games with sailor (8) MEGASTAR {GAMES*}{TAR}

28 Summon judge after rabbi's knocked out by a follower (6) BECKON (-r+b)BECKON

DOWN

1   Son awaiting disbursement of money (8) SPENDING {S}{PENDING}

2   Primarily, director establishes clear rules, ensuring equity and order (6) DECREE Acrostic

3   Mostly tolerate unknown amateur's lines (6) STANZA {STANd]{Z}{A}

4   Food supplier made a mess of terrace (7) CATERER*

5   Serbian boy beaten up somewhere in Australia (8) BRISBANE {SERBIAN+B}*

6   Try drinking Italian wine, it's most flavoursome (8) TASTIEST {T{ASTI}EST}

7   Red-faced female aristocrat seen outside inn initially (6) FLORID {F}{LOR{Inn}D}

15 Soldier from the south to demand a royal salutation (8) NAMASKAR {MAN<=}{ASK}{A}{R}

16 Story supported by urban wisdom (8) SAGACITY {SAGA}{CITY}

18 Reportedly failed to elude authority (8) S?N?T?O? (Addendum - SANCTION (~sank shun) - See comments) 

19 No time? First try cooking Chinese style dish (4-3) STIR-FRY {FIRST+tRY}*

21 After being written up,some cadet in Utah co-operated (6) UNITED [T<=]

23 On reflection, one graduate identified Japanese condiment (6) WASABI {1}{BA}{SAW}<=

24 Remains briefly in cast, frequently ignored (6) RELICS {bRiEfLy+In+CaSt}

Reference List

Daughter = D, Son = S, Student = L, Lawyer = DA, Information = GEN, Old queen = ER, About = RE, Sailor = TAR, Rabbi = R, A follower = B, Unknown = Z, Amateur = A, Boy = B, Female = F, Royal = R, Time = T

Special, Sunday 26 Apr 2026, Veeyares

Three answers per commenter till 6 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)

Enjoy.

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 53, Sunday, 26 Apr 2026, Incognito

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)

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

1   Murder drunk medico going behind hospital around one (8) HOMICIDE {MEDICO}*<=>{H} over I}

5   Robert traps a sailor in tree (6) BAOBAB {B{A}OB}{AB}

10 Horse carriage available in Daltonganj (5) TONGA [HIPS]

11 Part, carrying writer, with right pencil refurbishment device (9) SHARPENER {SHAR{PEN}E}{R}

12 Student rolls eye on receiving Chinese fruit (6) LYCHEE {L}{Y{CH}EE*}

13 See cross arranged for film-maker (8)  SCORSESE*

15 Citadels for tired soldiers, for starters (5) FORTS {FOR}{Ti..d}{So...s}

17 Arranged big deal to get indebted (9) OBLIGATED*

19 Heaters in rooms and coolers in cars? (9) RADIATORS [DD]

20 After Japanese drink, Romeo gets falcon (5) SAKER {SAKE}{R}

21 Setter wrongly printed "Brave" (8) INTREPID {I}{PRINTED*}

23 Charlie also ran more near (6) CLOSER {C}{LOSER}

27 Forceful blows from husband destroys easy mark (9) HAYMAKERS {H}{EASY+MARK}*

28 Twelve dozen without tax deduction (5) GROSS [DD]

29 Peril from starting to drive with ire (6) DANGER {Dr..e}{ANGER}

30 Peppers and horribly irks papa (8) PAPRIKAS*

DOWN

1   Extremely warm in front of the Spanish accommodation for guests (5) HOTEL {HOT}{EL}

2   Chap one treated successfully groomed hands (9) MANICURED {MAN}{I}{CURED}

3   Box containing rodent in church (5) CRATE {C{RAT}E}

4   Some Hindus know the time when there is a little light before commencement of night (4) DUSK [T]

6   Snake sitting on a piece of cloth next to American vegetable (9) ASPARAGUS {ASP}{A}{RAG}{US}

7   Loveless game starting to excite party (5) BINGE {BINGo}{Ex...e}

8   Prohibit sore saloon worker (9) BARTENDER {BAR}{TENDER}

9   Extraordinary smoker having a lighter perhaps (9) MATCHLESS {MATCH LESS}

14 Settled: "Is editor" (9) COLONISED {COLON}{IS}{ED}

15 Groped around vessel provided (9) FURNISHED {F{URN}ISHED}

16 Boy leaves stud farm employee? It's an impasse... (9) STALEMATE {STAbLEMATE}

18 Assess the situation and steal cattle (4,5) TAKE STOCK {TAKE}{STOCK}

22 In absence of a notary, change and check suitability of suit, for example (3-2) TRY-ON NOTaRY*

24 Extraordinarily large beer (5) LAGER*

25 Gets up, sir, in confusion about directions (5) RISES {RI{S}{E}R*}

26 Runt leaves Austrian in continent (4) ASIA AuStrIAn

Reference List

Hospital = H, Robert = BOB, Sailor = AB, Right = R, Student = L, Chinese = CH, Romeo = R, Charlie = C, Husband = H, The in Spanish = EL, Church = CE, Editor = ED, Boy = B, Directions = S,E

No 14777, Saturday 25 Apr 2026, Gridzilla

 ACROSS
1 Heavenly body starts to revolve around sun and ultimately quits revolving (6) QUASAR [Acrostic<]

4 Tooth decay can affect roots in elderly subjects primarily (6) CARIES [Acrostic]
8 Go over the daily grind, taking drugs for a bit of amusement (7) RETRACE {R(-a+E)ETRACE}
9 Girl and boy enthralled by wild bison and apes (7) GIBBONS {G}{B in BISON*}

11 Peek and go on (4,6) KEEP MOVING {PEEK}* [RA]
12 Avoiding pressure, lift part of foot (4) INCH {pINCH}
13 Car manufacturer's latest model is out perhaps (5) TESLA {LATESt}*
14 What a job applicant might do to// develop? (4,4) TAKE FORM [DD]
16 On the way out, daughter stops to pick up prize (4,4) HOLD DEAR {OLD}{D} in {HEAR}
18 Uncivilized gestures to describe creeps? (5) EDGES [T]
20 Oddly, slug hit after ricocheting, like so (4) THUS { SlUg HiT<}
21 Lots of soot spoils furniture (10) FOOTSTOOLS*

23 Armed marine? (7) OCTOPUS [CD]
24 Failing tests regularly, police detective is forced to leave (7) EVICTED {DetECTIVE}*
25 Improves a couple of measures at day school (6) EMENDS {EM+EN}{D}{S}
26 Roll soy or figs basically for desserts (6) FROYOS {SOY OR Figs}<

DOWN

1 What starts quarrels, reportedly, in a waiting line? (5) QUEUE {~Quarrells}
2 Liquid soap or drop of paraffin is suitable (7) APROPOS {SOAP OR Paraffin}*
3 Sarpanch or agent controls city (9) ANCHORAGE [T]
5 Getting angry right away and mellowing (5) AGING {rAGING}
6 Precisely where to see a lawyer's defence strategy? (2,5) IN BRIEF {IN BRIEF}
7 Smart chaps get small cushy jobs (9) SINECURES {S{IN}ECURE}{S}
10 According to Spooner, cold smoked salmon is something a cat owner might buy (6,3) LITTER BOX {Spoonerism of BITTER LOX}

13 Hot chocolate - not cold, mostly, could produce a problem (9) TOOTHACHE {HOT CHOcolATE}*
15 Sleek founders? (5,4) KEELS OVER {SLEEK<}
17 So, bride's desperate to take clothes off? (7) DISROBE*
19 Love, for one, made rich guy irritable (7) GROUCHY {R(-i+O)OCH GUY}*
21 Regained ground (5) FOUND [DD]
22 City will be safe and prosperous ultimately (5) LEEDS [Tail Acrostic]

Reference List

Drugs=E (Ecstasy), Girl=G, Boy=B, Pressure=P, Model=T ( Ford's Model T), Daughter=D, Measures= EM and EN (measures in printing), Day=D, School=S, Right=R, Small=S, Love=0=O, One=1=I.

No 14776, Friday 24 Apr 2026, Vidwan

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.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

1   Firm controlled trade union with bit of engineered isolation (8) SOLITUDE {SOLI{TU}D}{En...d}

5   Earliest of researches in study of Cancer, say (6) TROPIC {T{Re...s}OPIC}

10 Pashto lord taking fellow to India, occasionally (7) AFGHANI {A{F}GHA}{iNdIa}

11 Love piece of crossword clue about German block (7) OCCLUDE {O}{Cr...d}{CLU{D}E}

12 Bridge looked misaligned optically (5-4) CROSS-EYED {CROSS}{EYD}

14 Moves towards new listeners (5) NEARS {N}{EARS}

15 Conspires to use crude things like emeralds and quartzes (8,6) PRECIOUS STONES*

17 Quietly avoiding entrance to places without right arrangements (14) ORCHESTRATIONS {pORCH}{E}{ST{R}ATIONS}E from?

21 Non-specific start of viral fever (5) VAGUE {Vi..l}{AGUE}

22 One who can understand dialogues in a muted movie, split head for Spooner (3,6) LIP READER (rip leader to lip reader)

23 Atmosphere is bad! It's malice! (7) CLIMATE* {iT+MALICE}* {CLIMATE+IS}=ITS MALICE}* [CA]

24 Resistance to change gets noted, possibly for one resting at tide (7) INERTIA {INERTIA+GETS+NOTED}*= {ONE RESTING AT TIDE} [CA]

26 Set him free of belief in one almighty (6) THEISM*

27 Small and remote, on English shore, perhaps (3-5)  ONE-HORSE {ON}{E}{SHORE*}

DOWN

1   Small freedom, having a view of coast! (8) SEASCAPE {S}{E{A}SCAPE}

2   Quietly going close, screening with perfect hearing organ (7) LUGHOLE {pLUG}{wHOLE}

3   It can be green or greenish-blue colour mostly! (3) TEA TEAl

4   Duty-free loo Sir! Possibly for one who advocates making things oneself! (2-2-10) DO-IT-YOURSELFER*

6   Field survey about hoax explosive gathers nothing (11) RECONNOITRE {RE}{CON}{N{O}ITRE}

7   Pick and soften down (7) PLUMAGE {PLUM}{AGE}

8   One from China trading in English dairy product (6) CHEESE {CH(-in+e)EESE}

9   Account of biblical prophet's duties and responsibilities at workplace (3,11) JOB DESCRIPTION  [C&DD]

13 Quiet around his king, child comes back with small starters (5,6) SHISH KEBABS {S{HIS}H}{K}{BABE<=}{S}

16 American queen with awfully mean online self-identification (8) USERNAME {US}{ER}{MEAN*}

18 Great! I'm playing Jazz! (7) RAGTIME*

19 Some cold, sterile, retired fellow (7) OLDSTER [T]

20 Bird with a disheartened voice starting to trill (6) AVOCET {A}{VOiCE}{Tr..l}

25 The flawed crypto-currency (3) ETH*

Reference List

Trade Union = TU, Fellow = F, New = N, English = E, Small = S, Quietly = P, With = W, About = RE, Quiet = SH, King = K, Small = S, Queen = ER

No 14775, Thursday 23 Apr 2026, Vidwan

Solution to 17A 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

8   Essential and wrong! Almost like endless church service at 3 pm! (4,3,3) SINE QUA NON {SIN}{EQUAl}{NONe}

9   Left out flat window glass (4) PANE PANEl (Correction PlANE - See comment)

10 Once more straighten out in opposition to one's character (7,3,5) AGAINST THE GRAIN {AGAIN}{STRAIGHTEN*}

11 Measure of certain lie repeated to an old rock group overshadowed by younger ones! (6) INLIER [T]

12 Tells United Nations head about Indian mantra (8) UNBOSOMS {UN}{BOS{OM}S}

14 Heartless brothel keeper gets lady's address (4) MAAM MAdAM

15 Assimilator took nourishment at home, possibly for materialisations (3,2) ATE IN {ATE IN+ASSIMILATOR}*=MATERIALISATIONS [CA]

16 Born dead desire (4) NEED {NEE}{D}

17 Lecherous discreet royal, one coming in for date (8) ?R?R?E?T (Addendum - PRURIENT PRU(-d+r1}RIENT - See comments)

18 Runs ahead for taste! King runs for fun! (6) FROLIC {F(+r)RO(-r)}{LICk}

19 Admirable! Urgent rush to find a mysterious place! (7,8) BERMUDA TRIANGLE*

21 Here investigator has control (4) REIN [T]

22 Do rise and vibe excitedly with rich variety of life! (10) BIODIVERSE*

DOWN

1   Receiving a riper kind of flowering ivy (8,7) VIRGINIA CREEPER*

2   Minister lured me, treated for alcoholism induced psychosis (8,7) DELIRIUM TREMENS*

3   Underground bus tips over to ride on sea! Great! (10) SUBSURFACE {BUS<=}{SURF}{ACE}

4   Popular place hosting most honest chaps making piece of orchestral music (15) INSTRUMENTATION {IN}{S{TRUe}{MEN}TATION}

5   Occasionally king eyes a part of leg (4) KNEE {KiNg+EyEs}

6   No! No current pass arranged for someone like Harsha Bhogle (6,9) SPORTS ANNOUNCER*

7   Destroying Persian militia, saving millions for policy of opposition to dominance over other nations (4-11)  ANTI-IMPERIALISM {PERSIAN+MILITIA}* over {M}

13 Boycott office detective trading cocaine tart (7,3) BANOFFI PIE {BAN}{OFFI(-c+pi)PIE}

20 Theodore returned after acquiring book liability (4) DEBT {T{B}ED<=}

Reference List

Left = L, Indian mantra = OM, Born = NEE, Royal = R, Date = D, Dead = D, Runs = R, King = K, Popular = IN, Millions = M, Cocaine = C, Detective = PI(Private Investigator), Book = B

No 14774, Wednesday 22 Apr 2026, Vidwan

Solution to 17A 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

7   Creature regularly seen in bazaar, very ominous on the outside (8) AARDVARK {bAzAaR}{D{V}ARK}

9   Counter hijab, a customary covering (6) ABACUS [T]

10 Rush of animal migration, at the outset (4) ZOOM {ZOO}{Mi...n} Animal/Zoo?

11 You kiss and love exuberantly, needing to show attachment to wife in excessive manner (10) UXORIOUSLY {U}{X}{O}{RIOtoUSLY}

12 Fairly huge waves carrying small number (6) ENOUGH {E{NO}UGH*}

14 Get lease negotiated for heirs (8) LEGATEES*

15 Straight one in opposite squad, near slips (4-3-6) FAIR-AND-SQUARE {FA{1}R}{SQUAD+NEAR}* Opposite/far?

17 It may be revealed by a top division (8) ?L?A?A?E (Addendum - CLEAVAGE [C&DD] - See comments)

19 No! Not pleasant to talk about pain reliever (3,3) ICE BAG {nICE}{GAB<=}

21 Fast food cooked by baker, nuts on slice of bread (5,5) DONER KEBAB {DONE}{BAKER*}{Br..d}

22 Hostel day or month (4) DORM {D}{OR}{M}

23 Look around South America for an oil seed (6) SESAME {SE{S}{AM}E}

24 Tiny tree representing the afterlife (8) ETERNITY*

DOWN

1   Monkey's born with a gift (6) BABOON {B}{A}{BOON}

2   American lady tailed the First Gentleman (4) ADAM {A}{DAM} (Correction - {A}{DAMe} - See comments)

3   Indian bureaucrats going to Hong Kong with a Russian lady (8) BABUSHKA {BABUS}{HK}{A}

4   Medieval Chinese dynasty installing a King's assembly (6) MAKING {M{A}{K}ING}

5   Hands-on flight support at all levels (10) BALUSTRADE [CD]

6   Bang on target, oppressor controlled south-eastern Europe (5,3) BULLS EYE {BULL{SE}Y}{E}

8   Intelligent king gained back large advantage (13) KNOWLEDGEABLE {K}{WON<=}{L}{EDGE}ABLE Able from?

13 I am unclear about legislature with single chamber (10) UNICAMERAL*

15 Fellow - a cold at heart recluse, one who hunts with a bird (8) FALCONER {F}{A}{L{C}ONER}

16 Endlessly question holy books expressing one's petty complaints (8) QUIBBLES {QUIz}{BiBLES}

18 Bank letter mentions a piece of jewellery (6) ANKLET [T]

20 Munched over long time to freshen up (6) AERATE {A{ERA}TE}

22 Dead English buried in Scottish city mound (4) DUNE DUNdeE

Reference List

Very = V, Kiss = X, No = N, Day = D, Month = M, South = S, America = AM, Born = B, American = A, Lady = DAM, Indian bureaucrats = BABUS, King = K, Europe = E, Large = L, Fellow = F, Cold = C, Dead = D, English = E

No 14773, Tuesday 21 Apr 2026, Pixie Dust

Solution to 19D 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   Old cake chewed several times in a nursery rhyme! (4-1-6-3) COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO {OLD+CAKE}* [Letter Bank]

Cock a doodle doo!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master's lost his fiddling stick
And knows not what to do.

10 Phantom and beloved leader of Freljord cycling (5) UMBRA (-bra)UM(+bra)BRA

11 Warrant for a soldier's slogan? (6,3) BATTLE CRY [C&DD] 

12 It's absurd, cheat is stealing Knight's tape (5-2) STICK ON {ITS*}{C{K}ON}

13 Oafs fly? Suspect dismissals (7) LAYOFFS*

14 An adult insect's study of mind (5) IMAGO [DD]

16 Poor wife is hot and sickly (9) UNHEALTHY UN(-w+h)HEALTHY

19 Cryptically could I set something most murky? (9) CLOUDIEST*

20 Brand mounted without hype in the end (5) SCALD SCALeD

22 Yes! Sen ceased to smuggle substance (7) ESSENCE [T]

25 Love poem with English guide (7) OVERSEE {O}{VERSE}{E}

27 Mariner (colony resident) uncomfortable at first with return of a large spider (9) TARANTULA {TAR}{ANT}{Un...e} and {A}{L}<={

28 Contesting extremely vapoury gin cocktail (5) VYING {Va...rY}{GIN*}

29 Pi loves sex and dangerous stuff? (4,10) HIGH EXPLOSIVES {PI+LOVES+SEX}* [RA]

DOWN

2   Old boy Harry got bail and sponsorship (9) OBBLIGATO {O}{B}{GOT+BAIL}*

3   From the beginning King never appreciated Chief Kattappa's talent (5) KNACK Acrostic 

4   Bond's drone we hear is in the grips of an implant (9) DEBENTURE {DE{(~bee)BE}NTURE}

5   Outcast weasel regularly ignored characters in a number system (5) OCTAL {OutCasT+weAseL}

6   Spooner expresses surprise and lingers in lounges! (9) LOLLYGAGS (golly lags to lollygags)

7   In recess resisted beverage (5) DECAF<=

8   Heard about Indian Classical Dance's epic journey (7) ODYSSEY (~odissi)

9   Naughty smile describing basically unpalatable food (6) MUESLI {M{Un...e}SLI*}

15 Fiat, Quebec Nani drove essentially in reverse (9) ORDINANCE [T<=]

17 Controversial party game? (3,6) HOT POTATO [DD] 

18 Camouflaged terrapins come to light (9) TRANSPIRE*

19 Caught a shark, a zooming beast (7) C?E?T?H (Addendum - CHEETAH (~cheater) - See comments)

21 Discover medical practitioner on line (6) DREDGE {DR}{EDGE}

23 Superb! Iago appearing in every other shoot (5) SPRIG {SuPeRb+IaGo}

24 Prepare one-liner supporting establishment at first (5) EQUIP {QUIP}<=>{Es...t}

26 To some extent clergymen voice author's concluding words (5) ENVOI [T]

Reference List

Knight = K, Wife = W, Hot = H, English = E, Large = L, Old = O, Boy = B

No 14772, Monday 20 Apr 2026, Pixie Dust

Solution to 6D 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

7   Bill while cycling takes in extremely coquettish style of dancing (6) TECHNO {(-no)TE(+n)NO} over {Co...sH}

8   On and off friend's watching volatile jamboree (8) FESTIVAL {FriEndS+waTchIng+VolAtiLe}

9   Complacent auditor conceals part of a bloomer (8) PLACENTA [T]

10 Oral consent to rise (6) ASCENT (~assent)

11 Send journalist back with second reinforcement (8) DESPATCH {ED<=}{S}{PATCH}

12 Stupid and pointless without basic strategy (6) INSANE {IN{St...y}ANE}

13 A pet's craft requirement (7,4) MASKING TAPE {A+PET}* [RA]

18 Rebuffed, some shoot at opinionated Murphy (6) POTATO [T<=]

20 Climax surrounding essentially stunning party for the soon-to- be union member (3,5) HEN NIGHT {HE{stuNNing}IGHT}

22 Challenge accountant raising fee (6) ACCOST {CA<=}{COST}

23 Bananas ripen over and over again to get this pungent compound (8) PIPERINE* Letterbank

24 Watched one going crazy about poetry (8) OVERSEEN {O{VERSE}EN*}

25 Reddish-yellow stain covers corner (6) RUSSET {RUS{SE}T

DOWN

1   Firmly established like a frog? (4-3) WELL-SET [DD]

2   Legume croquettes, halibut in curried kimchi, pineapple enchiladas & avocado for starters (8) CHICKPEA Acrostic

3   Is this composition creating tensions? (6) SONNET [CA] {SONNET+IS}* = TENSIONS

4   Surprisingly it's easy to film Spain's top writer (8) ESSAYIST {ITS+EASY}* over {Sp..n}

5   Tailless sick cur exploited! Is it fair? (6) CIRCUS {SICk+CUR}*

6   Notice fly hovering around a nurse (7) ?A?N?N? (Addendum - WARNING {W{A}{RN}ING} - See comments)

8   Spooner's gurgling in the cooler is short- lived? (5,2,3,3) FLASH IN THE PAN (plash in the fan to flash in the pan)

14 Barking kitten or is it more complicated? (8) KNOTTIER* What's the role of 'is it'?

15 Every often Port Izmir toasted this yellow flower (8) PRIMROSE {PoRt+IzMiR+tOaStEd}

16 Depressed libertarian leader is expelled from congress (7) CONCAVE CONClAVE

17 Clap to a large extent with understanding (7) THUNDER [T]

19 In a foreign land, rook moves behind on a ship (6) ABOARD AB(-r)OA(+r)RD

21 New copy line for household linen (6) NAPERY {N}{APE}{RY}

Reference List

Journalist = ED, Second = S, Corner = SE(South East), Nurse = RN(Registered Nurse), Rook = R, New = N, Copy = APE, Line = RY(Railway)