No 14770, Friday 17 Apr 2026, Karaoke

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ACROSS

1   Open house, bird-house (6) HONEST {HO}{NEST}

4   Mosquitos vacated, no more suffering in public toilet (4,4) MENS ROOM {Mo...oS+NO+MORE}*

9   A specialty hospital right across minister's original place of seclusion (6) ASHRAM Acrostic

10 Throw away editor misbehaving with girlfriend (3,3,2) GET RID OF {EDITOR+GF}*

12 Greed for wealth from medal by fool leaving nothing at the end of tourney (8) CUPIDITY {CUP}{IDIoT}{t...eY}

13 Rest of money stolen from old women (6)  OTHERS mOTHERS

15 Frisk high priests near bridge (5,6) STRIP SEARCH {PRIESTS}*{ARCH}

18 Drinking heavily, both let off with model in lounge oddly (2,3,6) ON THE BOTTLE {BOTH+LET}*{T} in {lOuNgE}

21 Well-deserved employees always receive net excluding dividends primarily (6) EARNED Acrostic

22 Song by crazy doctor on a lake (8) MADRIGAL {MAD}{RIG}{A}{L}

24 Starter by pirate at sea with wife heartily (8) APERITIF {PIRATE}*{wIFe}

25 Sage consumes basically edible mushroom (6) REISHI {R{Ed...e}ISHI}

26 Sondheim composed "The pursuit of pleasure" (8) HEDONISM*

27 It makes you sleepy when fixed in taste occasionally (6) TSETSE {Ta{SET}StE}

DOWN

1   He'd treat a patient who is mentally unstable (8) HEADCASE {HED+A}*{CASE}

2   Fancy shopowner fired women. They are good-for-nothing (2-6) NO-HOPERS SHOPOwNER*

3   He can add some input funnily (7,8) STANDUP COMEDIAN* &lit 

5   Smooth sailing, maybe curtailed (4) EVEN EVENt

6   Clergy with hot tutoress pants in exercise (7,4,4) STRETCH YOUR LEGS {CLERGY+H+TUTORESS}*

7   Lots of love poems about first love! (6) OODLES {O}{ODES} over {Love}

8   The Lion King, say, horribly famous acting for Oscar (6) MUFASA {FAM(+a-o)AUS}*

11 Bears witness to abstainer participating in destruction of asset (7) ATTESTS {TT} in {ASSET}*

14 Essentially Bharat's army at large weapon factory (7) ARSENAL {bhARat}{SENA}{L}

16 Gates scenery? (5,3) STAGE SET {GATES}* [RA]

17 Spooner says "Cut down rent. It's a punishment place" (8) HELL FIRE (fell hire to hell fire}

19 Cuts up hot angel (6) SERAPH {PARES<=}{H}

20 Companion cooked around noon (6) FRIEND {FRIE{N}D}

23 Searches for accommodation (4) DIGS [DD]

Reference List

House = HO, Girlfriend = GF, Money = M, Model = T, Lake = L, Women = W, Hot = H, Acting = A, Oscar = O, Abstainer = TT, Large = L, Noon = N