No 14893, Tuesday 08 Sep 2026, Vidwan

Solution to 25D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only 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

8   Open channel on record, as conflict leads to death (15) STRAIGHTFORWARD {(~strait)STRAIGHT}{FOR}{WAR}{De..h}

9   Dictator with a bold non-working solution and vacuous statecraft (10) ABSOLUTIST {A}{B}{SOLUTIon}{St...fT}

10 Kind of blue oil (4) LUBE*

11 Cover royal fast (8) SPANKING {SPAN}{KING}

14 Carry around good German drifter (6) BEGGAR {BE{G}{G}AR}

15 Entire bravest fighting class of spineless ones! (13) INVERTEBRATES*

18 Abused the French during invasion (6) RAILED {RAI{LE}D}

19 Ideal society ignored copulation by faceless, crusading Knight (8) EXEMPLAR {sEX}{tEMPLAR}

22 Amorous communication is part of his extroversion (4) SEXT [T]

23 I reportedly deceive with diplomacy and direct visual communication (3,7) EYE CONTACT {(~i)EYE}{CON}{TACT}

26 Escaping from trap, purchase smack or cocaine and crow somehow! (2,4,2,2,5) BY HOOK OR BY CROOK {BY}{HOOK}ORBY}{C}{ROOK} Anno not clear

DOWN

1   Try small bill (4) STAB {S}{TAB}

2   Love working after girl returns to pool (6) LAGOON {O}{ON}<=>{GAL<=}

3   Rodent with a painful inflammation on island (6) AGOUTI {A}{GOUT}{I}

4   Case in perpetuity (4) ETUI [HIPS]

5   Second person on train, runs to become content developer (8) YOUTUBER {YOU}{TUBE}{R}

6   Desire mostly set in difficult zone between darkness and luminosity (8) TWILIGHT {T{WILl}IGHT}

7   Area covering a windy basin where monsoon winds originate (7,3) ARABIAN SEA {AREA} over {A}{BASIN}*

12 A peg in secret with English sleuth (7,3) PRIVATE EYE {PRIV{A}{TEE}Y}{E}

13 Some young rebellious flyer (5) GREBE [T]

16 Will very old and bright one go on regularly? (8) VOLITION {V}{O}{LIT}{1}{gO+oN}

17 Communist pets for Caucasian countrymen (8) REDNECKS {RED}{NECKS}

20 Derived name from money power, perhaps (6) EPONYM {MONEY+P}*

21 Head Egyptian god, Greek circular dish (6) PATERA {PATE}{RA}

24 Rameez Raja hosting a famous rabbi (4) EZRA [T]

25 Old fool runs away naked (4)  C?O?

Reference List

Bold = B, Good = G, German = G, The in French = LE, Society = S, Cocaine = C, Small = S, Island = I, Runs = R, Peg = TEE, English = E, Very = V, Old = O, Power = P