No 14923, Wednesday 14 Oct 2026, Gridzilla

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   Bored by country song in party? (8) CAROUSAL {CARO{USA}L}

9   Way, reportedly, to get to big house (5) MANOR (~manner)

10 European has half Polish name (4) FINN {FINish}{N}

11 What's seen in hands of orthodontists, etc? (3,2,5) AND SO FORTH [T]

12 Overwhelmed by arthritis sometimes? Yes! (2,2,2) IT IS SO [T]

14 The University dean's building is cool (8) UNHEATED {THE+U+DEAN}*

15 Heartbroken chaps continue to sigh? (7) BREATHE {HEART}* in {BE}

17 Hip and leg operation basically pending (2,5) IN LIMBO {IN}{LIMB}{Op...n}

20 Wretched fellow's killing time inside (8) INFERNAL IN(+f-t)FERNAL

22 Play fine puzzle right away (6) FIDDLE {F}{rIDDLE}

23 Ones you can bank on, to get serious? (2,8) NO NONSENSE {ONES}* [Letter Bank]

24 OK to pester for repayment of a loan, we hear (4) DONE (~dun)

25 One of the best violinists ever from Russia, enthralled millions, for starters (5) EFREM Acrostic Semi&lit

26 Even lower? (8) DECREASE [DD]

DOWN

1   Support staff for flights? (8) BANISTER [CD]

2   Either way, it's lunch time (4) NOON<=>

3   Up in Saratoga, I sampled some cheese (6) ASIAGO [T<=]

4   Lids came off easily? (4,3) SLID OUT {LIDS}* [RA]

5   Even in those days, dogs primarily scavenged meals on occasion (8) SMOOTHEN {THEN}<=>{Sc...d}{Me..s}{On}{Oc...n}

6   Ordinary and OK? Fine and fantastic? Or exceptional? (3,2,1,4) ONE OF A KIND {O+AND+OK+FINE}*

7   Jerk starts to expose his tummy in restaurant, when getting a tip (6) WRITHE [Acrostic<=]

13 Spooner's hound got a ride (10) S?A?E?O?R?  (Addendum - SKATEBOARD (bait scored to skateboard - See comments)

16 Fine day to board carriage back from office (8) HANDSOME {HAN{D}SOM}{o...cE}

18 Cat is able to jump around corner (8) BALINESE {IS+ABLE}* over {NE}

19 Full day, one dude's getting fleeced in city (4-3) ULAN-UDE {fULl}{dAy}{oNe}{dUDEs}

21 What's set up quickly, at the conclusions of some trials? (6) NOOSES {SOON<=}{somE}{t...lS} &lit

22 Strong fellow gets hurt unloading piano (6) FIERCE {F}{pIERCE}

24 Flower placed on top of policeman's grave (4) DEEP {DEE}{Po...s}

Reference List

Name = N, University = U, Fellow = F, Time = T, Fine = F, Right = R, Ordinary = O, Day = D, Corner = NE, Piano = P

No 14895, Thursday 10 Sep 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 7D 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   By noon, man having bit of dehydration collapsed (4,4) FELL DOWN {N}<=>{FELL{De...n}OW}

9   Old American chap drinking away on vacation (5) MAYAN {M{AwaY}AN}

10 Senior periodically dropped wife's winter coat (4) SNOW {SeNiOr}{W}

11 One using cutting edge technology? (10) GUILLOTINE [CD]

12 'Twas unsettling, around nightfall (6) SUNSET [T]

14 They say entire verse heartily (8) UTTERERS {UTTER}{vERSe}

15 Associate orders awfully huge fans (7) ADORERS {A}{ORDERS*}

17 Articles on entertainment from one end to the other (7) REPORTS {RE}{(-s)PORT(+s)S}

20 Rose died in a place close to Ireland (8) ASCENDED {A}{SCEN{D}E}{i...nD}

22 Bullied boy, becoming tense, didn't sleep well (6) TOSSED (-b+t)TOSSED

23 Site for putting links? (4,6) GOLF COURSE [CD] [C&DD] - See comments

24 Lure one to get into club (4) BAIT {BA{1}T}

25 Regularly wish couple with wishful words? (1,4) I HOPE {wIsH+cOuPlE}

26 For starters, scanty hair causes worries (8) STRESSES {Sc...y}{TRESSES}

DOWN

1   Spooner's eager...swift, perhaps, to get something to eat (4,4) BEAN CURD (~keen bird to bean curd)

2   Sounded sad on the phone (4) BLEW (~blue)

3   Fail to make it ultimately? (6) FORGET {FORGE}{iT}

4   Old equation's tweaked. Nothing's left out (7) ANTIQUE EQUATIoN*

5   Motel has everything needed to make item for breakfast (8) OMELETTE {MOTEL}* [Letter Bank]

6   Enigmatic author's grave, visited by tourists primarily (10) MYSTERIOUS {MY}{S{To...s}ERIOUS}

7   Where a doctor might be making less sense? (6) ?N?N?R (Addendum - INANER {IN AN ER} - See comments))

13 Shops essentially tested for contaminated bhel puri perhaps (6,4) STREET FOOD {shOps+TESTED+FOR}*

16 Signal-receiving device or aid? (5,3) RADIO SET {OR+AID}* [RA]

18 Topics about sex rising daily? (3,5) THE TIMES {THE{IT<=}MES}

19 Daughter wears a frock for a sermon (7) ADDRESS {A}{D{D}RESS}

21 & 22D Lift more than this, possibly (4,2,3,3) SHOT IN THE ARM*

22 See 21 

24 Low key? (4) BASE [DD]

Reference List

Noon = N, Wife = W, Associate = A, On = RE, Died = D, Boy = B, Tense = T, Daughter = D

No 14866, Friday 07 Aug 2026, Gridzilla

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

1   Place became cold all around (6) WARSAW  {WAS}{RAW}<=

4   German dogs mainly run and jump (6) SPRING {G}<=>{SPRINt}

8   Help stop itching to some extent (5,2) PITCH IN [T]

9   Say, king and one ace - not essentially queen of hearts (7) CARDIAC {CARD}{1}{ACe}

11 Cut and edit centre page (10) PERCENTAGE*

12 Returning from Yugoslavia too? (4) ALSO [HIPS<=]

13 Article describes origins of rheumatic orofacial pain (5) THROE {TH{Rh...c}{Or...l}E}

14 Spooner's principal gets some sweet treats (8) TEACAKES (~key takes to teacakes}

16 Laws, say, broken by trade union at the onset of strike (8) STATUTES {STA{TU}TE}{St...e}

18 Say, like a car, out of gas (5) TIRED (~tyred)

20 City is beautiful, and kept unpolluted for starters (4) BAKU Acrostic

21 His beneficiaries are always late? (10) UNDERTAKER [CD]

23 An enclosed space over and alongside houses (7) VERANDA [T} &lit

24 Bit of wine on the countertop? (7) PORTION {PORT}{NO 1<=}

25 One fleeing from dreadful regime (6) EMIGRE* Semi&lit

26 Tense day in an American company (2,4) ON EDGE {ONE}{D}{GE}

DOWN

1   Draft is correctly read out (5) WRITE (~right)

2   It goes fast, up and down? (4,3) RACE CAR <=>

3   Order food containing good source of nutrition (9) ALIGNMENT {ALI{G}{Nu...n}MENT}

5   To see this spot, used a telescope (5) PLACE {PLACE+TO+SEE}*=A TELESCOPE [CA]

6   Humanitarian aid nicely covers UP state (7) INDIANA [T<=]

7   What a groundskeeper requires is sold around corner (5,4) GRASS SEED {GRASS{SEE}ED}

10 How to get ideas pitched? (4,5)  CAST ASIDE {IDEAS}* [RA]

13 Tea is served often in private meeting (4-1-4) TETE-A-TETE* [Letter Bank] 

15 A time for one perhaps to take a little nap! (9) AFTERNOON {A+T+FOR+ONE}*{Nap} &lit

17 Setter's opening tactic primarily overturned a disaster (7) TSUNAMI {I'M}{ANUS}{Ta...c}<=

19 Like some nuts, dates, or bananas? (7) ROASTED*

21 Milk supplier from old city has daughters back in Kozhikode (5) UDDER {UR} over {DD}{k...dE}

22 In retrospect, greed or envy (vices) destroy slowly (5) ERODE [T<=]

Reference List

German = G, Trade Union = TU, Day = D, Good = G, Time = T, Daughter = D

No 14834, Wednesday 01 Jul 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 23A 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

1   They need to be taught a lesson about failure (6) PUPILS SLIP-UP<=

4   One's c-cross to bear? (6) AFFORD {A}{F-FORD}

8   One street goes around Italian city (7) TRIESTE {1+STREET}*

9   Man! With this braggart, I get most annoyed (7) EGOTIST {EGOTIST+M}*=I+GET+MOST [CA]

11 Estimation of a tax shown to the auditor (10) ASSESSMENT (~ a cess meant)

12 Go to lake and strip (4) PEEL {PEE}{L}

13 Husband is excitedly eating American dish (5) SUSHI {H+IS}* over {US}

14 OMG! It's a new change, designed to reduce pollution (8) ANTISMOG {OMG+ITS+A+N}*

16 A dashing personality? (8) SPRINTER [CD]

18 Sailing east, around Australia (2,3) AT SEA {EAST}*{A}

20 Nitwit knocked back rum bottles only (4) DODO {ODD<=} over {O}

21 According to Spooner, many excelled in swimming event (10) BACKSTROKE (~stack broke to backstroke)

23 One suspect reportedly gets betrayed (4,3) ?O?D ?U? (Addendum - SOLD OUT (~sole doubt to sold out) - See comments)

24 Reason one can't travel abroad to Germany, or a city in Serbia? (4,3) NOVI SAD {NO VISA}{D}

25 Part of cliff or a fjord receding in the distance (3,3) FAR OFF [T]

26 Heard Frank finally got a revolver (6) PLANET {(~plain)PLANE}{goT} Incorrect homophone See comments

DOWN

1   First to finish remaining prunes? (5) PARES (-s)PARE(+s)S

2   Wants to guide chaps playing soccer primarily (7) PREFERS {Pl...g}{REFER}{So...r}

3   That's life, working for a 2 pm -10 pm job perhaps (4,5) LATE SHIFT*

5   Fellow takes time out in tough contest (5) FIGHT {F}{tIGHT}

6   Commanding officer turned up to discharge one of the marines? (7) OCTOPUS {CO<=}{TO}{PUS}

7   Dame, one who's murdered ultimately in play? (9) DESDEMONA {DAME+ONE+whoS+m...eD}* &lit

10 Amateur gets inspired by fantastic career in a team sport (5,4) RELAY RACE {LAY} in {CAREER}*

13 Gradually steal in shop? (6,3) SIPHON OFF {IN+SHOP}* [RA]

15 Brown can on the counter has a bit of dill and mushroom (9) TOADSTOOL {TOA{Dill}ST}{LOO<=}

17 Sample from skin or dermis is ok (2,5) IN ORDER [T]

19 European dancing in bar - extremely seductive (7) SERBIAN {IN+BAR+Se...vE}*

21 Downright lie! (5) BLUFF [DD]

22 Snake kept rattling and intimidated trespassers at the outset (5) KRAIT Acrostic

Reference List

Man = M, Lake = L, New = N, Australia = A, Only = O, Germany = D, Fellow = F, Can = LOO 

No 14808, Monday 01 Jun 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 11A 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   Cream is a baker's need, we hear (6) FLOWER (~flour)

4   Chapter out of Africa's wild expedition (6) SAFARI AFRIcAS*

8   Taxes: they actually regulate imports from foreign soil, for starters (7) TARIFFS Acrostic

9   Body builder banned from all contests? (7) STEROID [CD]

11 Worst place underground is mentioned in the Bible perhaps (10) ?E?T?E?L?R (Addendum - BESTSELLER {BEST}{(~cellar)SELLER} - See comments)

12 Cheese is arranged on the counter (4) EDAM<=

13 Upon reflection, will US omit invading city in Iraq? (5) MOSUL [T<=]

14 That's enough of kinky photos on sex (2,4,2) OH STOP IT {PHOTOS}*{IT}

16 Plant a kiss oddly on the mobile (8) STOKESIA {A+KISS+On+ThE}*

18 Small fish primarily found in river from the east (5) ELFIN {NI{Fish}LE}<=

20 Mount Washington's captivating! (4) SHIN [HIPS]

21 How to make the man say "We are the champions"? (4,6) ROCK ANTHEM {THE+MAN}* [RA]

23 Study 'Introduction to Therapeutics' first, to become a doctor (7) DENTIST {DEN}{Th...s}{1ST}

24 Let go and hire again (7) RELEASE RE-LEASE

25 Singular case, partly reviewed, is of lower back (6) SACRAL [T<=]

26 Fancy saree with a little red slip remover (6) ERASER {SAREE}*{Red}

DOWN

1   Case of butter placed in empty fridge (5) FRAME {Fri{RAM}dgE}

2   Without hesitation, runs to snort a bit of illicit drugs (7) OPIATES OPerATES over {Il...t}

3   Reduces cost for American permits (9) ENFEEBLES EN(+fee-a)FEEBLES

5   Shift is a key at the far ends of the typewriter (5) ALTER {ALT}{thE}{t...eR}

6   Ogre ate bananas? Okay! (5,2) AGREE TO*

7   Man-made reservation has no lake (9) IMITATION lIMITATION

10 A weapon having little benefit? (9) ALLOWANCE {A}{L{LOW}ANCE}

13 According to Spooner, to lock the dining room would be perfect (9) MATCHLESS (~latch mess to matchless)

15 Cry with hatred, as emotions initially go haywire (4,1,4) SHED A TEAR {HATRED+AS+Em...s}*

17 Tight necktie almost chokes one on the move (7) KINETIC {NECKTIe}* over {1}

19 Pops down after scoring ecstasy (7) FATHERS FeATHERS

21 Some fear a stalker...a dreaded one (5) RASTA [T]

22 Belgian artist got high consuming narcotics primarily in retreat (5) ENSOR {ROS{Na...s}E}<=

Reference List

Chapter = C, Sex = IT, Hesitation = ER, American = A, Lake = L, Ecstasy = E

No 14777, Saturday 25 Apr 2026, Gridzilla

 ACROSS
1 Heavenly body starts to revolve around sun and ultimately quits revolving (6) QUASAR [Acrostic<]

4 Tooth decay can affect roots in elderly subjects primarily (6) CARIES [Acrostic]
8 Go over the daily grind, taking drugs for a bit of amusement (7) RETRACE {R(-a+E)ETRACE}
9 Girl and boy enthralled by wild bison and apes (7) GIBBONS {G}{B in BISON*}

11 Peek and go on (4,6) KEEP MOVING {PEEK}* [RA]
12 Avoiding pressure, lift part of foot (4) INCH {pINCH}
13 Car manufacturer's latest model is out perhaps (5) TESLA {LATESt}*
14 What a job applicant might do to// develop? (4,4) TAKE FORM [DD]
16 On the way out, daughter stops to pick up prize (4,4) HOLD DEAR {OLD}{D} in {HEAR}
18 Uncivilized gestures to describe creeps? (5) EDGES [T]
20 Oddly, slug hit after ricocheting, like so (4) THUS { SlUg HiT<}
21 Lots of soot spoils furniture (10) FOOTSTOOLS*

23 Armed marine? (7) OCTOPUS [CD]
24 Failing tests regularly, police detective is forced to leave (7) EVICTED {DetECTIVE}*
25 Improves a couple of measures at day school (6) EMENDS {EM+EN}{D}{S}
26 Roll soy or figs basically for desserts (6) FROYOS {SOY OR Figs}<

DOWN

1 What starts quarrels, reportedly, in a waiting line? (5) QUEUE {~Quarrells}
2 Liquid soap or drop of paraffin is suitable (7) APROPOS {SOAP OR Paraffin}*
3 Sarpanch or agent controls city (9) ANCHORAGE [T]
5 Getting angry right away and mellowing (5) AGING {rAGING}
6 Precisely where to see a lawyer's defence strategy? (2,5) IN BRIEF {IN BRIEF}
7 Smart chaps get small cushy jobs (9) SINECURES {S{IN}ECURE}{S}
10 According to Spooner, cold smoked salmon is something a cat owner might buy (6,3) LITTER BOX {Spoonerism of BITTER LOX}

13 Hot chocolate - not cold, mostly, could produce a problem (9) TOOTHACHE {HOT CHOcolATE}*
15 Sleek founders? (5,4) KEELS OVER {SLEEK<}
17 So, bride's desperate to take clothes off? (7) DISROBE*
19 Love, for one, made rich guy irritable (7) GROUCHY {R(-i+O)OCH GUY}*
21 Regained ground (5) FOUND [DD]
22 City will be safe and prosperous ultimately (5) LEEDS [Tail Acrostic]

Reference List

Drugs=E (Ecstasy), Girl=G, Boy=B, Pressure=P, Model=T ( Ford's Model T), Daughter=D, Measures= EM and EN (measures in printing), Day=D, School=S, Right=R, Small=S, Love=0=O, One=1=I.

No 14748, Monday 23 Mar 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 1A 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   Think about Rose these days? (6) W?N?E? (Addendum - WONDER {RED}{NOW}<= - See comments)

4   Place to drink wine is off limits (6) BARRED {BAR}{RED}

8   Couple in difficulty abandons daughter (7) HARNESS HARdNESS

9   Part of legend is not a lie perhaps (7) TOENAIL*

11 Great in Rock? (3,7) RED GRANITE {GREAT+IN}* [RA]

12 Othello's greatest antagonist is basically twisted (4) IAGO Acrostic<= &lit

13 Means of communication that's out of reach in Dindigul (5) HINDI [T]

14 Part of club is super cool according to the Reverend (8) HANDGRIP (grand hip to handgrip)

16 One regularly wetting the bed? (8) GARDENER [CD]

18 Break eggs from one end to the other (5) SURGE (+s)SURGE(-s)

20 First of all, bro, men want sexy cars (1,1,1,1) B M W S Acrostic

21 Negotiates with members involved in insurance (6,4) CLIMBS OVER {C{LIMBS}OVER}

23 Anybody could be putting tight noose around me (7) SOMEONE {SO{ME}ONE*}

24 Develop an American company, say (7) GESTATE {GE}{STATE}

25 Explosive report mainly implicates judge (6) TETRYL {TE{TRY}Ll}

26 Order a fancy big fan (6) ADORER*

DOWN

1   Heard you and I have to make up (5) WEAVE {WE'VE}

2   Figure of dragon on a gong (7) NONAGON [T]

3   Perhaps Korean man wanting anaesthesia is treated (4,5) EAST ASIAN ANAESTheSIA*

5   Pay when you eat lunch (5) ATONE {AT ONE}

6   Washing hair in Singapore sucks! (7) RINSING [T]

7   Timid one initially gets beaten in prison (5,4) DOING TIME {TIMID+ONE+Gets}*

10 A thin girl injured in a minor fall (5,4) LIGHT RAIN*

13 Ahem...er... I can explain! (4,2,3) HEAR ME OUT {AHEM+ER}* [RA]

15 Spooner's fans want the effect of a good punch perhaps (9) NOSEBLEED (blows need to nosebleed)

17 Locked up Napoleon in America perhaps (7) DESSERT<=

19 One is naturally alarming (7) ROOSTER [CD]

21 What makes the coating of confectionery sweet? (5) CANDY {Co...rY(C and Y)} Semi&lit

22 This might keep you warm in East End's diner (5) EATER (~heater)

Reference List

Daughter = D

No 14720, Wednesday 18 Feb 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 7D 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   Study starts to trace ancestral lineage of canines (6) DENTAL {DEN}{Tr..e}{An...l}{Li...e} 

4   Sun not seen in part of Russia and part of Europe (6) IBERIA sIBERIA

8   Someone on a terrace is having a baby! (7) NEONATE [T]

9   Avoid draw? (4,3) WARD OFF {DRAW}* [RA]

11 About to ask loners all over the place to stand together? (5,5) CLOSE RANKS {C}{ASK+LONERS}*

12 Cut some sweet cherries (4) ETCH [T]

13 Physicist originally from Europe researched muons intensively (5) FERMI Acrostic &lit

14 Quickly starts snapping its photo (4,2,2) HOPS TO IT* 

16 Plan is right from start to finish and logical to begin with (8) PROPOSAL {(-a)PROPOS(+a)A}{Lo...l}

18 Old Peruvian beer may be found here (5) INCAN {IN CAN} [DBE]

20 God of war essentially! (4) ARES [T] Semi&lit

21 Spooner's unreasonable standards - they could be frowned upon! (3,7) BAD MANNERS (~mad banners to bad manners)

23 Risk is great, but not absolute (7) IMPERIL IMPERIaL

24 These discriminators are on board? (7) SEXISTS {S{EXIST}S}

25 Had spent time, to take wife out (6) TASTED (+t-w)TASTED

26 Enter with extremely tipsy author around lunchtime (4,2) TYPE IN {TipsY}{PE{1}N}

DOWN

1   People get on when love is expressed (5) DWELL {Do WELL}

2   Abstainer's turned on by hot nurse (3-4) NON-USER {ON<=}{NURSE*}

3   Members of a rock band? (9) ASTEROIDS [CD/GK]

5   At last, scrub your butt cheek (5) BRASS {s..uB}{youR}{ASS}

6   Say, buffalo and bear finally teamed up (3,4) RED MEAT {beaR+TEAMED}*

7   A time to avoid pretentiousness, and care (9) A?F?C?I?N (Addendum - AFFECTION AFFECtaTION} - See comments)

10 Hotel in Iceland served a Mexican dish (9) ENCHILADA {H} in {ICELAND}*{A}

13 On the contrary, some monks might live like this? (3,4,2) FAR FROM IT [DD]

15 A pill they popped for pastime (9) PHILATELY* 

17 Have mixed up pesos with shillings (7) POSSESS {PESOS*}{SS}

19 Intimate clip from biopic on Fidel (7) CONFIDE [T]

21 In Bangalore on vacation, kid gets reward (5) BRIBE {Ba...rE} over {RIB}

22 I unloaded supplies in shop (3,2) RAT ON RATiON

Reference List

Sun = S, About = C, Absolute = A, Time = T, Wife = W, Hotel = H, Shilling = S

No 14690, Tuesday 13 Jan 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 10D 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   High in just one drink? (6) STONED [T]

4   In retrospect, some can't set a limit with it (6) LATEST [T<=]

8   Put off by boring title song (7) DELAYED {DE{LAY}ED}

9   If nothing else, eat salt at sea (2,5) AT LEAST*

11 After sex change, became more cheerful or panicky? (10) FRIGHTENED (-b+f)FRIGHTENED 

12 Always strong at heart (4) EVER sEVERe

13 Fun subject describing how to get off a mailing list, briefly (5) UNSUB [T]

14 Got on board an old vessel to fix nets (8) EMBARKED {EMB{ARK}ED}

16 Agreed with ladies at base (3,1,4) ITS A DEAL*

18 Teaching remains unchanged, written in English or Arabic (5) TENET <=>

20 Went back a long way (4) DEEP<=

21 How to make tension permanent? (3,2,5) SET IN STONE {TENSION}* [RA]

23 One is involved in stocks and accounts (7) STORIES {STOR{1}ES}

24 Noteworthy island capital - one situated in Asia, basically (7) NICOSIA Acrostic &lit

25 Mountain in Germany having one way to go over (6) DENALI {D}{LANE<=}{1} ( Correction {D}{1+ LANE<=} - See comments)

26 Mother dear set out to save daughter (6) TERESA {dEAR+SET}*

DOWN

1   Steep cut announced (5) SHEER (~shear)

2   Fruit obtained from fields near ocean (7) ORANGES {RANGES}<=>{O} O/Ocean?

3   Charming Democrat's running and likely to be voted in (9) ELECTABLE dELECTABLE

5   After cycling, poet fed the kitty (5) ANTED (-d)ANTE(+d)D

6   Reportedly, writer's most uninterested in contacts, etc (7) EYEWEAR {(~i)EYE}{WEARy}

7   A type of foodie challenge with eats you can bank on? (5,4) TASTE TEST {EATS}* [Letter Bank]

10 Where can you possibly see Ali, as a matter of fact? (2,7) ?N ?E?L?T? 

13 Turned up to have lunch - That's natural (9) UNTREATED {UNTER{EAT}ED*}

15 Bane of one tribe at war with enemy essentially (4,5) BETE NOIRE {ONE+TRIBE+enEmy}*

17 Endless craving for drug (7) ASPIRIN ASPIRINg

19 Spooner's point? Nothing is taboo! (3,4) NOT DONE (dot none to not done)

21 Man in market supplies perfume (5) SMELL {S{M}ELL}

22 Currency of Iran collapsed, followed by agitations primarily (5) NAIRA {IRAN}*{Ag...s}

Reference List

Song = LAY, Sex = B(oy), F(emale), Germany = D, Daughter = D, Democrat = D, Man = M

No 14665, Monday 15 Dec 2025, Gridzilla

Solution to 5D 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   Feeling a bit satisfied after extremely short flight (6) STAIRS {AIR}{Sa...d}<=>{ShorT}

4   A short time to have lunch out (4,2) BEAT IT {B{EAT}IT}

8   Taking spoiled salami, one ultimately gets some discomfort (7) MALAISE {SALAMI}*{E}

9   Henry delivered hash or heroin in metal container? (4,3) IRON ORE {OR+hEROIN}*

11 Visiting hot adult site, Mark gets aroused (10) STIMULATED {ADULT+SITE+M}*

12 Small drink, say, for skipper (4) SAIL {S}{(~ale)AIL}

13 Worm on top of sunflower plant (5) SEDGE {EDGE}<=>{Su...r}

14 "Australia: The best place" - A Netflix feature (8) AUTOPLAY {AU}{TOP}{LAY}

16 John sat playing on account of these sets of cards (8) CANASTAS {CAN}{SAT*}{AS}

18 Cryptic clue about primarily nice relative (5) UNCLE {U{Nice}CLE*}

20 Went in haste, covering head (4) PEED sPEED

21 Radiohead's first hit single's unusually creepy (10) SLITHERING {Ra...d+HIT+SINGLE}*

23 Order servant to check room (7) CHAMBER {CHA{MBE}R}

24 Right away, rations drinks (7) POTIONS POrTIONS

25 Portion of crab soup in ceramic cups (6) PINCER [T]

26 Catches fish with outdated lures? (6) ANGLES dANGLES

DOWN

1   Taking public transport around is clever (5) SMART<=

2   Feared gangster's carrying a gun (7) ALARMED {AL}{ARMED}

3   New 'Listerine Strong' (9) RESILIENT*

5   In the East End, the masses misbehaved (5) E?R?D (Addendum - ERRED (~herd) - See comments)

6   No set exercises? (5,2) TONES UP {NO+SET}* [RA]

7   Result: After losing opener, entire team's out! (9) TERMINATE {eNTIRE+TEAM}*

10 Vessel with crew on board starts to head into port (9) STEAMSHIP {S{TEAM}S}{Head}{Into}{Port}

13 A UFO with small steps? Cool! (9) SPACESHIP {S}{PACES}{HIP}

15 Land in Amsterdam perhaps, says Spooner (5,4) TOUCH DOWN (~dutch town to touchdown)

17 A sign board above shows where to find a six-pack (7) ABDOMEN {A}{OMEN}<=>{BD}

19 Cheerful guy is always laughing basically (7) CORDIAL {CORD}{Is}{Al...s}{La...g}

21 Incident is investigated, as per report (5) SCENE (~seen)

22 Near-perfect ratings possibly worsening after partial review? (5) NINES [HIPS<=]

Reference List

Henry = H, Mark = M, Small = S, Australia = AU, Order = MBE, Servant = CHAR, Right = R, Date = D, Gangster = AL, Cool = HIP, Board = BD, Guy = CORD

No 14636, Tuesday 11 November 2025, Gridzilla

Solution to 4A 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 solve, if not solved by 1 PM

ACROSS

1 Most attractive officer is trim (3,3) CUT OFF {CUTe}{OFF}

4 Address of number one boarding school (6) ?P?E?H SPEECH{PEE} in {SCH} See comments

8 Public unlikely to avoid bars in general? (7) OVERALL {OVERt}{tALL}

9 Winning's delightful, and in general, inspiring! (7) LANDING [T]

11 Start process to check source of income tax (10) ACTIVATION {ACTION} over {Income}{VAT}

12 Only person in the auditorium? (4) SOLE {~SOUL}

13 & 25 One in a suit is in assistant's room, according to Spooner (3,2,6) ACE OF SPADES Spoonerism of Space of Aide's

14 Write in school about kid topping in exams (8) INSCRIBE {{IN}{S}{C}{RIB}{Exams}

16 Attacks a sailor verbally, on board (8) ASSAULTS {A}+{~SALT}{SAULT} in SS

18 Time to stop marketing this gizmo? (5) PAGER {P{AGE}R}

20 Against America's new tariff increase primarily (4) ANTI Acrostic

21 Is water often served by them? (10) WAITRESSES Letter Bank of {IS WATER}* Semi &Lit

23 Conditions were extremely heart-wrenching (7) WEATHER {WerE}{HEART}*

24 Most rude lout, having something sweet (7) STRUDEL [T]

25 See 13 Across

26 Border security's checking families (6) ORDERS [T]

DOWN

1 Either way, it's local (5) CIVIC <=> Palindrome

2 One wearing headgear drops a European engine driver (7) TURBINE {I} inside {TURBaN}{E}

3 Was full of guilt, and left? (4,5) FELT AWFUL {LEFT}* [RA]

5 Sounds like flat is ordinary (5) PLAIN {~Plane}

6 Right away supply American parts for consumer (3,4) END USER {rENDER} over {US}

7 What an innkeeper may do, to get this type of moustache? (9) HANDLEBAR {HANDLE BAR}

10 With this case, one's turning silent and vicious (5,4) CIVIL SUIT {ONES+CIVIL SUIT}*=SILENT VICIOUS [CA]

13 Police see lead from Norman Bates, to find people who are missing (9) ABSENTEES {SEE+Norman+BATES}*

15 Mohanlal, for one, taking meals without a bit of pepper and salt (9) SUPERSTAR {SUPpERS}{TAR}

17 A little song and a treat arranged around lunchtime (7) ARIETTA {A TREAT}* around {I}

19 General Electric decided to accept Tesla's point (7) GESTURE {GE}{SURE} over {T}

21 Earlier, husband and wife turned up - at which place? (5) WHERE {{ERE}{H}{W}}<

22 Vessels were destroyed by torpedoes ultimately (5) EWERS {WERE}*{torpedoeS}

Reference List

Officer=Off, Bar=T, School=SCH, S, C=About (Circa), On board= in SS(steamer ship) Marketing=PR, European=E, Right=R, American=US, Lunch time=1=I, General Electric=GE, Tesla=T, Husband=H, Wife=W.

No 14612, Monday 13 Oct 2025, Gridzilla

Solution to 6D 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 solve, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Having roses perhaps of all forms, essentially all over the place (6) FLORAL {OF+ALL+foRms}*

4   Got ruined, reportedly (6) RAISED (~razed)

8   Ronaldo played in this city (7) ORLANDO*

9   Pick up posh car for new drivers? That's right (7) CORRECT CO(-ll+rr)RRECT

11 Plot in musical about to become interesting (10) ATTRACTIVE {TRACT} in {EVITA<=}

12 Activities requiring tremendous skill basically (4) ARTS Acrostic &lit

13 Place in America wanting more spicy curry? (5) BALTI BALTImore

14 She is angry and a little taken aback, getting booed (6,2) HISSED AT {SHE+IS}*{TAD<=}

16 The old man's happy to spend 500 for alcohol (8) METHANOL {THE+OLd+MAN}*

18 President once recalled banning radical paper (5) ESSAY YASSEr <=

20 Some painstakingly reviewed dyeing technique (4) IKAT [T<=]

21 Square of seventeen could be divided by five (4-6) EVEN-STEVEN {SEVENTEEN}* over {V}

23 Cut and fixed (7) CLIPPED [DD]

24 Points where campers can be found (7) INTENTS {IN TENTS}

25 Henry leaves run-down part of town carrying a little smack and arrives (4,2) GETS TO {GhETTO} over {Sm..k}

26 Keep late hours with Insta? Not cool, right? (4,2) STAY UP {inSTA}{YUP}

DOWN

1 & 2 A day to play harmless pranks? (5,2,5) FIRST OF APRIL {April}

2 See 1 Down

3   Supplement featuring Charlie's obsession (9) ADDICTION {ADDI{C}TION}

5   Love passing through Palakkad or Ernakulam (5) ADORE [T]

6   Leaving island nation for Washington, say (7) S?R?A?E (Addendum SURNAME SURiNAME - See comments) 

7   A tricky cryptic definition, primarily about a private eye (4,5) DICK TRACY {A+TRICKY+Cr...c +De...n}*

10 The Reverend says "Rise to greater heights, ambitious one" (4-5) HIGH-FLIER (fly higher to high flier)

13 All the best, Gale! (5,1,3) BREAK A LEG {GALE}* [RA]

15 Relative I tolerated initially, gets going (5,2,2) STEPS ON IT {STEPSON}{I}{To...d}

17 Stops to have drinks around a night club perhaps (3,4) HOT SPOT [T<=]

19 A society with this outlook may be necessary (7) SCENERY {SCENERY+A+S}*=NECESSARY [CA]

21 Game is tied by end of set (5) EVENT {EVEN}{seT}

22 Placed a starter of eggplant on the counter to consume (3,2) EAT UP {PUT}{A}{Eg...t}<=

Reference List

Posh car = RR{Rolls Royce}, New = N, 500 = D, Radical = R, Five = V, Henry = H, Cool = IN, Charlie = C, Society = S