No 14872, Friday 14 Aug 2026, Bruno

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ACROSS

1   Quivering in shame, Duke leaving kingdom's edge with disgrace (10) DEHUMANISE {IN+SHAME+DUkE}*

6   Send out instructions to eliminate radical (4) EMIT rEMIT

9   Government funding money to have artificial intelligence controlled by August (5-2-3) GRANT-IN-AID {GRAN{TIN}{AI}D}

10 Take time out, impress one's leader, repeat (4) ECHO {EtCH}{One}

12 On TV, fake host mixed up speech (4,2,6) VOTE OF THANKS*

15 Credit lacking, one's cut bread (7) CROUTON {CR}{OUT}{ONe}

16 Labourer cycled lots over a road (7) YARDMAN {(+y)YMAN(-y)} over {A}{RD}

17 Treatment of Islamic sect reflects America's political heart (7) SHIATSU {SHIA} with {US}{p..iTi..l}<=

19 Evolving from Neanderthal basically, and going up (7) NASCENT {Ne...l}{ASCENT}

20 Feverish mood in Tonga's capital city (5,7)  SANTO DOMINGO*

23 Leader pulled out younger pitcher (4) EWER nEWER

24 Setter shops here? (4,6) HIGH STREET {SETTER}* [RA]

25 Undistinguished piece from Bruno — so swiftly retracted (2-2) SO-SO [T<=]

26 Feature of trending site — regularly encrypted (10)  INGREDIENT {TRENDING+sItE}*

DOWN

1   Likes archaeological sites (4) DIGS [DD]

2   Most popular American guitar's a joke (4) HOAX {HOt}{AX}

3   Setter's type returning over time to country, avoiding new place that's usually crowded (5,7) METRO STATION {ME}{SORT<=}{T}{nATION}

4   Grandma's enthusiastic for fabric (7) NANKEEN {NAN}{KEEN}

5   A robot moves like this — with rampant convulsions when touched by an insect (7) STIFFLY {FITS<=}{FLY}

7   One showing high speed's paralysed, taken to emergency room after time out in game (4,6) MACH NUMBER {NUMB}{ER}<=>{MAtCH}

8   Lowly ranked bureaucrat finally gets abridged accommodation with half bath (10) THOUSANDTH {b...aT}{HOUSe}{AND}{baTH}

11 Alas! Boy's deficient at the top and unable to make wise decisions (5-7) SHORT-SIGHTED {SIGH}{TED}<=>{SHORT}

13 Bottom of tree roots sheltering warm communities of living things (10) ECOSYSTEMS {treE}{COSY}{STEMS}

14 It rotates in dark, becoming still (10) MOTIONLESS {MO{IT<=}ONLESS}

18 Excellent reputations need to be managed without rest, perhaps (7) UTOPIAN {rePUtATIONs}*

19 One entering underground with no option (7) NEITHER {NE{1}THER}

21 Used to be husband... became wife now (4) WERE (-h+w)WERE

22 Don't change systems stripped over time (4) STET {sySTEms}{T}

Reference List

Radical = R, Money = TIN, Time = T, Credit = CR, Road = RD, Husband = H, Wife = W