Friday, 10 April 2026

No 14764, Friday 10 Apr 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   Auto part in British base stolen by brash crooks craftily (5,8)
8   Help to check small elementary particle (5)
9   In agreement with old judge confining primarily obnoxious chaps from the right (2,3,4)
11 Contrived outrageous airlift to pick up spies (10)
12 Worry greatly about onset of epidemic (4)
14 Scold couple of associates receiving fine in Japanese city (7)
16 Knocking back second drink, jerk becomes pliable (7)
17 Fantastic in cameo, getting accolades (7)
19 Right time to break disorganised union's strike (3,4)
21 Agile secret agent catches leader of renegades (4)
22 Shrub in fancy patio outside popular lodge (10)
25 Cheats to tackle university exam that's most tough (9)
26 Kid in extremely tense race (5)
27 Deceptive behaviour in the comedy industry? (5,8)

DOWN
2   Hack starts to tweet about generating keyword on social media (7)
3   Diseased cows on farm complicated situation (3,2,5)
4   Zodiac crashed, leaving 500 lifeless (5)
5   Snicker about book by a catchphrase inventor (9)
6   Starter of ravioli with fish roll (4)
7   Famous American rapper releasing many new tracks at launch (7)
8   Problem in bar with siren going wild after consuming drink (5-6)
10 Alarming discourse about extremely corrupt members of the board (11)
13 Cuts over umpire's head, getting century in Australian city (10)
15 Couple of Americans outside bar wobble around in a weakened state (2,1,3,3)
18 Reindeer in our cabin! Endlessly troublesome (7)
20 Fools misbehave in retreat after consuming dope (7)
23 Gentlemen at estate eating buns (5)
24 Small boy captivated by cool library ID (4)

41 comments:

  1. 21A, SPRY= agile (def)
    Secret agent = spy
    Leader of renegades (r)
    Spy+r=spry

    25A, Robustest (This is a superlative of robust)
    Most tough=robust
    University exam=test
    Cheats to tackle( _t)
    Robus comes after deleting t,
    So, robus+test= Robustest

    4D, Azoic=lifeless (def)
    Zodiac+ -D( 500)
    Leaving deletion indicator
    Crashed is indicator
    So, Zodiac(-d)=<Azoic
    Azoic is a precambrian aeon.

    6D, Reel=roll(def)
    Starter of ravioli(r)
    Fish=eel
    So, R+eel=Reel

    23D, Nates=Buns
    GentlemeN AT EState eating buns
    Nates is hidden word.
    Gentlemen=night, abbreviated as N eating=ates
    So, Nates

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 25A, pl see the answer given by @ Ananda Rao Keerty.
      Sathia

      Delete
    2. 4D, crashed is anagram indicator.
      Sathia

      Delete
    3. Yes, crashed is anagram indicator.

      Delete
  2. 1A - SHOCK ABSORBER - Auto part from *brash crooks* taking in B(British) O is from letter bank; craftily - anagrid
    6D - REEL - roll; starter of R(av..li) + EEL(fish)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Disregard O and B(ritish) the BE could be from BasE with stolen indicating taking the edges

      Delete
  3. 2d can of worms -complicated situation from anagram of cows on farm

    ReplyDelete
  4. 11ac artificial (air(cia)lift) *
    18dn caribou (our cabi) *
    21ac spry sp(r) y
    6dn reel r(avoli) eel
    13 dn launceston
    (La(u)nce) ton(century)

    ReplyDelete
  5. 8d brain teaser - problem from anagram of bar siren tea

    ReplyDelete
  6. 5a. BOSON. - Elementary particle
    BOON. - Help
    S - Small
    To check - insert Ind

    16a. ELASTIC. - Pliable
    ELA - Ale (drink) reversed per knocking back
    S. - Second
    TIC. - Jerk

    27a. FUNNY BUSINESS. - Deceptive behaviour
    CA of comedy industry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I deeply regret having posted more than one answer and that too before 11 am under the mistaken impression that this was a Sunday special. Age ( I am 87) does play tricks on one: my sincere apologies. Will be more careful in future Thanks regards

      Delete
    2. Genuinely ecstatic that you have been an ardent cruciverbalist upto this age. Age can play many tricks with the mind. Recently my cousin's FIL passed away at the age of 101. He was living in a senior citizen facility in Geneva. He had lost all memory. Couldn't identify his wife for 20 years. The amazing thing was he could play the piano like a virtuoso till his death

      Delete
    3. Namaste H Ramachandran sir.
      Long live your interest!

      Delete
    4. There are quite a few Octogenarians active in this blog. Good to see you also in that elite group.
      Sathia

      Delete
    5. Glad to have someone elder to me by a few years! Keep going!!

      Delete
    6. 27A, my answer was this way:
      Comedy= funny, industry=business
      So, Funny Business is the answer(5,8)
      Deceptive behaviour is also definition
      Deceptive behaviour is the definite way the movie or entertainment Industry works.

      Delete
  7. Naresh garu is next in the promotion list ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. 9a OF ONE MIND=in agreement with
    {(O)F(O)(NEM)<IND
    𝗢l̶d̶, FIND=judge, Ob̶n̶o̶x̶i̶o̶u̶s̶, MEN<=chaps from the right

    ReplyDelete
  9. 11.ac. Artificial. Airlift+ cia([spies) and rearranging the letters
    17.Encomia. Rearranging letters from ' in cameo'.
    21.ac. Spry. Spy(secret agent)+ r(enegades).
    25.ac. Robustest. Robs(cheats)+ u(niverisity)+ test(exam). and rearranging the letters.
    18.dn. Caribou. Our + cabi (n). ( Cabin endlessly ). and rearranging the letters.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 14a NAGAOKA=Japanese city
    NAG=scold, couple oi associates AA receiving OK=fine
    NAGA(OK)A

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 12A Greatly = far, Onset of epidemic = e, f(e)ar = fear = worry.
    19A Right = R, Time = T, disorganised = anagram indicator, r+t+union - anagramised = run into = strike
    22A fancy = anagram indicator, lodge = set, popular = in, anagram of set+in+patio = poinsettia = shrub
    26A Extremely TensE = t, kid = rib, T(rib)e = Tribe = Race
    7D American rapper = Eminem, many = m, releasing many = Emine(-m), new = n, Tracks at launch = t, emine(-m)+nt = eminent = Famous

    ReplyDelete
  13. It is time both @Sujatha and @ Dr Hareendranath are promoted!
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I think I was promoted a long time ago. I am just very irregular. Don't come here often. Probably 1-2 times a month. I am not sure if I fit in with "All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog." So, I posted.

      Delete
  14. 2 D

    Hack = HASH
    ( Starts ) : T ( weet ) A ( bout ) G ( enerating ) = TAG

    Keyword on social media = HASH T A G = HASHTAG

    ReplyDelete
  15. 24 D

    Small = S
    Boy = B
    Captivated = Container Indicator
    Cool = IN

    Librarry ID = I ( S B ) N= ISBN

    ReplyDelete
  16. 5D S(LOG)(A)NEER = catchphrase inventer.
    sneer ...snicker
    log. ...book
    a....a
    about...containment indicator

    ReplyDelete
  17. Today, I missed colonel's f(ire)!
    Go and pick Native tune to hum, two or one songs, in praise of Lord of Dwaraka!
    Answer: Go+pi+na+t+h= Gopinath
    Look forward,

    ReplyDelete
  18. 10ac
    discourse = ORATE
    alarming = DIRE
    extremely corrupt = CT
    DIRECTORATE -> members of the board

    ReplyDelete
  19. 15dn
    couple of Americans = A A
    bar = T
    A + A +T + WOBBLE ->
    AT A LOW EBB -> weakened state

    ReplyDelete
  20. 20d : NITWITS = Fools
    Misbehave = SIN in retreat (reversal ind) NIS
    Dope = TWIT
    Anno : NI(TWIT)S

    ReplyDelete
  21. 22Ac POINSETTIA - {PATIO}* covering {IN}{SET}

    ReplyDelete
  22. 8d BRAIN TEASER: problem
    BRA(bar*)(IN(TEA:drink)SER)
    INSER: siren*: going wild

    ReplyDelete
  23. 13D : LAUNCESTON (LA(U)NCES)(TON)
    Curs : LANCES, Umpire's head : U, Century : TON
    Defn : Australian city

    ReplyDelete

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