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