Sunday, 25 October 2026

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 79, Sunday 25 Oct 2026, Afterdark

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations Compulsory)
Please submit all your answers in one comment.

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

ACROSS  
8   AI introduced in Vietnam is worthless (4)
9   Forced the crowd (5)
10 Employs American warship around central Nigeria (4)
11 Regional Engineering Colleges uses intellectual property to expose system (6)
12 Described dog? Indeed (8)
13 Engineer may bless convention (8)
15 Clears tracks (6)
17 Temporarily uses first bus at golden lines (7)
19 Understands that time is redundant for these people (7)
22 Energetic Kazakhstanis discard khakis and produce a poem, say (6)
24 Criminal Ellis hid in brae (8)
26 Precious stones kept in suit (8)
28 Having uninterrupted power supply in Delhi East initially is an advantageous aspect (6)
30 Boy with golden spoon ultimately was brought to life by birth (4)
31 Indicate time (5)
32 Send son to guard borders (4)

DOWN
1   Cook bass and koi first adding spice at the end (4)
2   Technician in England shakes and has beer after removing lid (8)
3   Say, quickly debar first voter that's fraud (6)
4   Farewell to leave with first daughter, boy, 4th wife on tour (7)
5   Doctors for depression? First session in the beginning (8)
6   Coach on line, beginning to go as it is more occupied (6)
7   Female, stranger at England seen at fair (4)
14 Fire bolt (5)
16 To encourage to stay outside University is noble (5)
18 Infirmity comes from fitful wakefulness, having flu (8)
20 Demanded sibling shortened visit to India (8)
21 How his personality is helping to make a rumour (7)
23 Baptizing Amin inside's not good (6)
25 Dolly sauntered around university noisily (6)
27 Metal found in the environment (4)
29 For fathers, daughters are darlings surely, from the beginning (4)

45 comments:

  1. 8Ac VAIN - {V{AI}N
    9Ac DROVE - DD
    31Ac SPELL - DD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 8Ac read {V{AI}N} with the closing bracket

      Delete
  2. 18D: WEAKNESS (WAKEFULNESS-FLU)*
    21D: WHISPER (T)
    23D: NAMING (N)(AMIN)(G)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Could it have been Leaving instead of 'Having'? But then the surface does not make sense.

      Delete
  3. 1 a vain -worthless Vietnam -VN v(ai)n.
    13 a assembly -convention maybless*
    14 d shoot-Dd

    ReplyDelete
  4. 11A recipe= system ( Acrostic)
    My first

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where is the acrostic indicator!

      Delete
    2. Yes. You are rt. Tx for the suggestion
      The correct anno is
      REC= Reg Engg Colleges
      IP= Intellectual Property
      E= Expose

      Delete
    3. E should be exposure (photography terminology)!

      Delete
  5. 3D. Adverb= say( for example) quickly
    Debar+ V( first voter)
    Fraud is anagrind

    ReplyDelete
  6. 29D:dads=father's
    Daughters Are Darlings Surely
    27D:iron=metal
    envIRONment
    25D:loudly=noisily
    (dolly)* sauntered=anagrind around university(u) lo(u)dly

    ReplyDelete
  7. 14D fire= shoot= bolt
    DD
    My third

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1D. Sub for 14D
      Bake= cook
      B,A,K. First letters of Bass and koi
      E= spice at the end

      Delete
  9. 3D: say, quickly = adverb
    (Debar+v)*
    24A: brae= hillside
    (Ellis hid)*
    12A: described =detailed
    (De(tail)Ed)
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In lieu of 3D,
      26A: precious stones = diamonds
      Suit of cards has diamonds
      Sathia

      Delete
  10. 30A- Born- By birth- B or n
    Boy- B, Golden- Or, Spoon ultimately- N

    ReplyDelete
  11. 17a. BORROWS. - Temporarily uses
    B - Furst Bus
    OR. - Golden
    ROWS. - Lines
    4 d. GOODBYE. - Farewell
    GO - Leave
    D - first Daughter
    (BOY)*
    E. - fourth wife
    GO+O+D+BY+E
    6d BUSIER. - More occupied
    BUS - Coach
    (-t)IER - Line
    Beginning to go - Del Ind for t

    ReplyDelete
  12. 25D- Loudly- Noisily- (Dolly)* around U.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 12ac detailed de(tail) ed
    13assembly(convension) (may bless) *
    20dn insisted in(sister-r) d

    ReplyDelete
  14. 10 A
    Employs = USES
    American warship = USS
    Around = Container ond
    Central = Mid letter selection ind
    night E ria = E
    US ( E ) S = USES

    ReplyDelete
  15. 22A STANZA = a poem( Kazakhstanis - KHAKIS, anagram)
    7D FETE = fair {F, female + ET, stranger + E, England}
    28A UPSIDE = advantageous aspect {UPS, uninterrupted power supply + In Delhi East , starting letters}

    ReplyDelete
  16. 22 A
    A poem = STANZA
    Energetic = Anind
    Discard = Deletion ind
    Kazakhstanis- khakis = ( ZASTAN ) * = STANZA

    ReplyDelete
  17. 28 A
    An advantageous aspect = UPSIDE
    Uninterrupted power supply = UPS
    Initially = 1st letters selection ind
    I n D elhi E ast = = IDE
    UPS I D E = UPSIDE

    ReplyDelete
  18. ILO
    22 A
    Borders = ENDS
    Guards = T ind
    s END S on = ENDS ( T )

    ReplyDelete
  19. ILO
    28 A
    5 D
    Doctors = DENTISTS
    Depression = DENT
    First = 1ST = IST
    The beginning = 1st letter selector ind
    DENT IST S = DENTISTS

    ReplyDelete
  20. 27D Metal found in environment = IRON
    ENV{IRON}MENT

    ReplyDelete
  21. 15a STRIPS: clears, tracks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 30a BORN: brought to life by birth
      B( boy) OR( golden) N( spoon ultimately)

      Delete
    2. 16d PROUD: noble
      Prod: encourage
      Pro(u: university)d

      Delete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. 2D (ENGIN)*EER = Technician
    in England is IN ENG
    shakes is anaind
    and has
    beer after removing lid is EER

    ReplyDelete
  24. 19A-eskimos-these people; understands=intuits-t=inuits(meaning eskimos or these people)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The solution should be inuits!
      Not eskimos!

      Delete

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