No 14921, Monday 132 Oct 2026, Vidwan

Artwork by Prasanna

Solution to 13D 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   British National limit for Spooner's sleep (6) CATNAP (~nat cap to cat nap}

9   Laugh out loud! Almost high, father gets sticky candy! (8) LOLLIPOP {LOL}{LIt}{POP}

10 Alien about alien phase or something similar (2,6) ET CETERA {ET}{C}{ET}{ERA}

11 Talk about retaining the French country house (6) CHALET {CHA{LE}T}

12 Intense part of pride! Epiphany! (4) DEEP [T]

13 Macho guys having no power before love! No wonder! (10) PHENOMENON {HE MEN} over {NO} follows {P} then {O}{N}

14 Talk about India's Himalayan tree (7) CONIFER {CON{I}FER}

15 Weak, heartless and say vile wish (7) FANTASY {FAiNT}{SAY*}

17 Praise fellow to obtain unlimited dates (10) FELICITATE {F}{ELICIT}{dATEs}

18 Pay attention to main killer eliminating sons (4) HARK sHARK Why son in plural?

19 Pick well regularly within group (6) SELECT {S{wElL}ECT}

20 Train going around hot and popular country (8) THAILAND {T{H}AIL}{AND} Train/Tail? What's the role of Popular?

22 Emergency provision for Spooner's dangerous quartet (4,4) FIRE DOOR (~dire four to fire door)

23 Loses sleep over work in constituencies (6) SWEATS {S{W}EATS}

DOWN

1   Standard article on regressive units of heredity is describing reproduction without fertilisation (15) PARTHENOGENESIS {PAR}{THE}{{ON<=}{GENES}{IS}

2   One who explains without exhibition and advertising and one competed over support for poor (15) UNDERPRIVILEGED {expoUNDER}{PR}{1}{VI{LEG}ED}

3   Not the first omission by section of Church (4) APSE lAPSE

4   Wise burying a hatchet (7) CLEAVER {CLE{A}VER}

5   Voters somehow tolerate EC! (10) ELECTORATE*

6   I retraced the log rolling mouthpiece that prevents lip stains (9,6) CIGARETTTE HOLDER*

7   Pull head back with the one short string wound for support (5,2,8) TOWER OF STRENGTH {TOW}{FORE<=}{THE+STRiNG}*

13 Clues regularly ignored in love forecast (10) P?E?I?T?O?

16 Large insect occasionally bearing light (7) LANTERN {L}{ANT}{bEaRiNg}

21 Further exposed fake love (4) ALSO {fALSe}{O}

Reference List

Alien = ET, About = C, The in French = LE, Power = P, No = N, India = I, Fellow = F, Sons = S, Hot = H, Work = W, Standard = PAR, Advertising = PR, Support = LEG, Large = L