Wednesday, 15 April 2026

No 14768, Wednesday 15 Apr 2026, Avtaar

HAPPY VISHU
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
1   Party in bar turned extremely raunchy (7) REVELRY {LEVER<=}{Ra...hY}
5   Put on stage for Mussolini, perhaps (7) PRODUCE {PRO}{DUCE}
10 Small water inlet outside entrance to bathroom (4) BABY {BA{Ba...m}Y}
11 Mobile mass seen briefly on river around source of oil (6,4) SESAME SEED {MASS+SEEn}*{DEE<=}
12 Caution by English guards to walk softly (6) TIPTOE {TIP}{E} over {TO}
13 Shout about bone across centrepiece in grill used in the kitchen (8) CULINARY {C{UL{grIll}NA}RY}
14 Stir as tension breaks (9) SENSATION*
16 Fiend in English county heartlessly stealing money (5) DEMON {DEvON} over {M}
17 Very likely committed Bob's heading to border (5) ?O?N?  (Addendum - BOUND [MD] - See comments) 
19 Snare in celebration springing back behind bust (5,4) BOOBY TRAP {PARTY<=}<=>{BOOB}
23 Rum from Antigua - rare medicine - on the counter (8) DEMERARA [T<=]
24 Overcome by corrosion, banks of Euphrates turned reddish brown (6) RUSSET {RUS{Eu...eS<=}T}
26 Seals cracks in intricately woven material (10) TAPESTRIES {TAPES}{TRIES}
27 Helps millions fleeing terrible disease (4) AIDS mAIDS
28 Messenger Avtaar's apprehending scoundrel with hesitation (7) MERCURY {M{ER}{CUR}Y}
29 Dream of fellow worker shattered, say (7) FANTASY {F}{ANT}{SAY*}

DOWN
2   Devious general cancelling PR (7) EVASIVE pErVASIVE
3   Country broadcast logotype giving away 50 rings (5) EGYPT loGoTYPE*
4   Honour vision about becoming leader (7) RESPECT (+re)RESPECT(-re)
6   Back member after German leaves fold (6) RUMPLE {RUMP}{LEg}
7   Purge toxic insecticide with fluorine, after dropping ice (9) DISINFECT {iNSECTIcIDe+F}*
8   Man in church given port for good health (7) CHEERIO {C{HE}E}{RIO}
9   My coach's positive when I have cut off straying of the mind and body (13) PSYCHOSOMATIC {MY+COACHS+POSITive}*
15 US city backs probing radical faceless agencies having identical traits (9) SYNGENEIC {NY<=} in {aGENCIES}*}
18 Lover at eatery having had too much (7) OVERATE [T]
20 Coffee-maker is included in 22, say (7) BARISTA {IS} in {(~barter)BARTA}
21 Section of Mossad negated flipping schedules (7) AGENDAS [T<=]
22 Stock exchange? (6) BARTER [CD]
25 Lean factory replacing leader with second (5) SLANT (-p+s)SLANT

Reference List
English = E, Money = M, Millions = M, Hesitation = ER, Fellow = F, 50 = L, About = RE, German = G, Fluorine = F, Church = CE, I have = I'VE, Second = S
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34 comments:

  1. Sree Sree15 April 2026 at 08:36

    Online version had annos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sree Sree15 April 2026 at 08:37

    9d typo, starting is anind!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Padmanabhan15 April 2026 at 09:03

    5A- Duce- Title? I could not get it from the link. I was struggling with Benito!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sathia15 April 2026 at 09:31

    Happy Vishu wishes. Elephant on wheel!
    ( photo of Vishu celebration).
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mandagondi Naresh15 April 2026 at 09:52

    To everyone here, a very happy Vishu.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mandagondi Naresh15 April 2026 at 09:55

    17A, Bound=border (def)
    Bound also means very likely committed
    Clue is DD
    Bob' s heading(B)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vasu15 April 2026 at 11:09

    Very likely = BOUND
    Boss's. = B
    Border. = ROUND,
    Heading R is OUND. B + OUND = BOUND

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mandagondi Naresh15 April 2026 at 11:16

    Here, it shows Bob's head.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mandagondi Naresh15 April 2026 at 11:24

    Initially I thought Bob's head is= nods
    Bob(B), but how to get 'u'?
    Someone's anno. isn't clear to me
    How border is round?

    ReplyDelete
  10. maradnusro15 April 2026 at 11:25

    Avataar is mellowing. Good sign

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lakshmi Vaidyanathan15 April 2026 at 12:15

    Happy Vishu @Col

    ReplyDelete
  12. Padmanabhan15 April 2026 at 12:35

    +1

    ReplyDelete
  13. N Sridhar15 April 2026 at 13:02

    17A-bound=very likely/committed/Bob/heading to/ border-all mean the same.

    ReplyDelete
  14. N Sridhar15 April 2026 at 13:03

    Multiple definitions(MD)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant15 April 2026 at 13:07

      Excellent clue, I thought. Five definitions with a meaningful surface!

      Delete
    2. Sreeni15 April 2026 at 13:43

      Thank you 🙏. My favourite clue in the grid. All five are independent definitions as they are separate headwords in the dictionary. Otherwise there is a danger that they are just synonyms of the same word which is seen as not being sufficiently cryptic .

      Delete
    3. Padmanabhan15 April 2026 at 13:51

      good one Sreeni!!!

      Delete
    4. Sree Sree15 April 2026 at 14:30

      +1 to Vasant

      Delete
  15. Sreeni15 April 2026 at 13:46

    He is bound (very likely) to do it. She is bound (committed) by the agreement. Bound (bob (v)/ up the stairs. They are bound for (heading to) Delhi. And the bounds (borders) of the country are being reviewed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Subramanian15 April 2026 at 14:17

    Date at the top in bold letters is erroneously mentioned as 25th April, 2026 instead of 15th April, 2026. Auto mistake ?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Padmanabhan15 April 2026 at 14:43

    Yes. A typo.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Gowri15 April 2026 at 22:44

    Thrilled to have completed Avtaar and.....
    Guessed 17ac - though I wasn't sure Bob meant bound.

    I think Sreeni is becoming easier.
    My fav
    BOUND, CULINARY, TAPESTRIES.
    Thank u!

    ReplyDelete

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