No 14743, Tuesday 17 Mar 2026, Pixie Dust

Have an early morning drive, so leaving the CW for the regulars. Will update the post later in the evening.

Three answers per commenter till 1 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

1   Diplomatic organisation's mainly political acknowledgement, brief & empty (6) UNPACK {UN}{Po...l}{ACK}

5   Gossip about satisfactory sex, (ultimate fantasy!) and celibacy (8) CHASTITY {CHA{S}T}{IT}{f...sY}  

9   Reverend's not pleased at first, to admit Switzerland's sailing vessel (8) SCHOONER {SpOONER} over {CH}

10 Picked up rows, few and far between (6) SPARSE (~spars)

11 Imperious dad in Paris, meets conservative member of parliament going ahead (10) PEREMPTORY {PERE}{TORY}<=>{MP}

12 Yes, cycled around park, See! (4) ESPY {(+y)YES(+y)Y} over {P}

13 My one emergency fund? (3,5) MAD MONEY {MY+ONE}* [RA]

16 Finally locked abusive chef, without official delay, skilfully (6) DEFTLY Tail Acrotic

17 Try solid, clipped font (6) GOTHIC {GO}{THICk}

19 Pipes too can be different (8) OPPOSITE*

21 Grave stand to begin with, bishop is extremely righteous? (4) BIER Acrostic

22 Busybody's late - frequently picked on? (10) TATTLETALE Letterbank

25 Analyse speed of light and unit of distance (6) PARSEC {PARSE}{C}

26 Sea captain spends energy and prime resources for a tall pole that supports the sails (8) MAINMAST {MAIN}{MASTer}

27 On vacation referee is back with double net (8) RESIDUAL {Re...rE}{IS<=}{DUAL}

28 Tempestuous stud smuggles gold for members of a royal family (6) TUDORS {STUD}* over {OR}

DOWN

2   Mother of Pearl, adventurer (Canadian) carried from the south (5) NACRE [T<=]

3   Make up for amateur kicking small rock (5) ATONE {A}{sTONE}

4   Spooner orders: "Call Uncle Boss!" (7) KINGPIN (~ping kin to kingpin)

5   Swear endlessly or begin to yell, it's unmindful (7) CURSORY {CURSe}{OR}{Yell}

6   Surveyed a small state, extremely excluded (7) ASSAYED {A}{S}{SAY}{Ex...eD}

7   Sad effort deployed to reach some kind of compromises (5-4) TRADE-OFFS*

8   Should this flier indiscriminately hold up stilettos? (4,5) TEST PILOT {TEST+PILOT+SHOULD}*=HOLD UP STILETTOS [CA]

14 A magic toe developed these days? (6,3) ATOMIC AGE*

15 Overly theatrical actor upset with a former Prime Minister's mentor (9) MAHARISHI {HAM<=}{A}{RISHI}

18 Loosely cut each food additive (7) CATECHU 

19 Perfect gem capturing endless era (7) OPTIMAL {OP{TIMe}AL}

20 Principal mistakenly protects one who works hand-in-hand with customer (7) PALMIST [T]

23 Modest statement:"I'm idealistic to a large extent (5) TIMID [T]

24 Underdog's not the first person wrapping up deal successfully (5) LOSER cLOSER

Reference List

Satisfactory = S, Sex = IT, Switzerland = CH, Dad in French = PERE, Conservative = TORY, Park = P, Speed of light = C, Energy = E, Gold = OR, Amateur = A, Small = S

No 14368, Saturday 28 Dec 2024, Hypatia

 ACROSS

7   Covers alien in space shuttle initially (8) BLANKETS {BLANK}{ET}{Shuttle}
9   Contests in online outlets (6) EVENTS {E-VENTS}
10 Won after revolutionary champ (4) CHEW {W} after {CHE}
11 Just bore a son - a blessing to cherish (10) REASONABLE {T}
12 New users supply tenders (6) NURSES {N}{USERS*}
14 Hobby of emperor collecting money over time (8) KNITTING {K{TIN<}{T}ING}
15 An expert presses it (4,9) HIGH PRIESTESS {PRESSES IT}* {RA}
18 Wish horse crosses entire ground (8) GREETING {GG} over {ENTIRE}*
20 Correspondence //from// landlord (6) LETTER {DD}
21 Harry Potter coin in custody (10) PROTECTION*
22 Complaint of boy reversing charge (4) BEEF {B}{FEE<}
23 Jostles below funny bones, eventually (6) ELBOWS {BELOW}{boneS}
24 Lift through real votes mostly rigged (8) ELEVATOR {REAL VOTEs}*

DOWN
1   Notwithstanding a husband parting, strong lady moves ahead (8) ALTHOUGH {A}+ {T{H}OUGH}<=>{L}
2   Second present's white (4) SNOW {S}{NOW}
3   Noblemen backing president? Maybe, they're cultured (6) PEARLS {EARLS}<=>{P}

4   Reminiscences of viral images featuring Boris in the centre (8) MEMORIES {MEM{bORIs}ES}
5   Doctor, male attender tackling pressure in section (10) DEPARTMENT {P} in {M ATTENDER}*
6   Criminal lost near leaderless hideout acquired illegally (6) STOLEN {LOST*}{dEN}
8   Likes prawn and gin cocktail drink (9,4) SPARKLING WINE*

13 Genius got puzzles accepting small hint (10) SUGGESTION {GENIUS GOT}* over {S}
16 Per Spooner, evil media got Diana, say (8) PRINCESS {Spoonerism of SIN PRESS}
17 Essentially asked to reveal blueprint (8) SKELETON {aSKEd}{LET ON}
19 Seldom undercooked meat's gutted liberally (6) RARELY {RARE}{LiberallY}
20 Pined and attacked having love for you, eventually (6) LONGED {L{-u+O}NGED}
22 Bill and Bob made USA think ultimately (4) BEAK {Tail Acrostic}

REFERENCE LIST

Alien = ET, Wo n= W, New = N, Time = T, Horse = GG(gee gee), Boy = B, Husband = H, Lady = L, Second = S, President = P, Mal e= M, Small = S, Love = O

No 14217, Wednesday 03 Jul 2024, Spinner

Solution to 15A 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   Following Pythagoras' lead, peculiar nerd turned at ninety degrees (13) PERPENDICULAR {Py...r}{PECULIAR+NERD}*

10 Percentage of quota not fulfilled (5) RATIO RATIOn

11 West Indies coming with extremely laurelled aces - they don't need to get through qualification! (4,5) WILD CARDS {WI}{La...eD}{CARDS}

12 Work from test site owned by us (6) LABOUR {LAB}{OUR}

13 Guess English's complicated, at times! (8) ESTIMATE {E}{AT+TIMES}*

15 Line-up comes before kick-off, as time runs out in front of essentially tempestuous audience! (9) ?I?T?N?R? (Addendum - LISTENERS {LIST}{ENtER}{t...eSt...s} - See comments

16 Dealing with love, silly! (2,2) ON IT {0}{NIT}

20 Female choir's reverberation (4) ECHO [T]

21 Get shot by mistake while not being the intended target? (9) PHOTOBOMB {PHOTO}{BOMB} &lit

24 Dodgy check is caught in large heist upfront (8) TICKLISH {TICK}{L}{IS}{He..t}

26 Deceitful U-turn awkwardly exposed leader (6) UNTRUE {U+TURN}*{Ex...d}

28 Support side finally with new captain, as old as you and me! (9) ENCOURAGE {sidE}{N}{C}{OUR AGE}

29 Intense performance about upper-class eccentricities, primarily (5) ACUTE {AC{U}T}{Ec...s}

30 Caution : Spinner's returning with power and will! (13) DETERMINATION {DETER}{I'M<=}{NATION}

DOWN

2   Doctor hails best form (9) ESTABLISH*

3   Publicity over channel beginning to sell goods! (8) PRODUCTS {PR}{O}{DUCT}{S}

4   Scientist not working for slippery customer? (4) NEWT NEWTon

5   Clarify incorrect American cess trapping top taxpayers (10) ILLUSTRATE {ILL}{US}{Ta...s}{RATE}

6   Mischief-maker swaying without taking either side (6) URCHIN lURCHINg

7   Patriarchy shackles parts of the heart (5) ATRIA [T]

8   Faithfully obedient after troubling at first (5) TRULY {RULY}<=>{Tr...g}

9   Basically adds forced stress? (7) ASSERTS {Adds}{STRESS*} &lit

14 Fanaticism perhaps unseats him? (10) ENTHUSIASM*

17 Main menu cooked with complete, unending love (6,3) NUMERO UNO {MENU*}{ROUNd}{0}

18 Accepts sender's first letters randomly with no address, essentially! (7) SETTLES {Se...s}{LETTErS}*

19 Every association worker is rich (8) ABUNDANT {A BUND}{ANT}

22 Set clues having a catch! (6) CLAUSE {CL{A}USE*}

23 Enjoy part of movie featuring chief villain (5) REVEL {RE{Vi...n}EL}

25 Hoard auditor's money (5) CACHE (~cash)

27 Spotted rival players getting exercise on the sides (4) SEEN {S}{N} over {Ex...sE}

Reference List

English = E, Large = L, New = N, Captain = C, Upper-class = U, Publicity = PR, Over = O, Love = 0,  Rival players = S(south), N(North)

Special, Tuesday 19 Sep 2023, Veeyares

Three answers per commenter till 6 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)

Enjoy.

No 13461, Monday 24 Jan 2022, Hypatia

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.

ACROSS

7   Worker cutting pure fruit (8) PLANTAIN {PL{ANT}AIN}

9   Between two, neither partner’s backing conservative — that’s funny (6) IRONIC {I{NOR<=}I}{C}

10 Can extroverts keep succeeding? (4) NEXT [T]

11 Shook the tree and bullied (10) THREATENED*

12 Sensitive nurse (6) TENDER [DD]

14 Pennies saved by new account holder (8) OCCUPANT {OCCU{P}ANT}*

15 She manages artist cast in small commercial upfront (13) ADMINISTRATOR {MIN{ARTIST*}OR}<=>{AD}

18 Desire just carelessly (8) WANTONLY {WANT}{ONLY}

20 Doctor Hardy touring India’s capital (6) RIYADH {R{I}YADH*}

21 Concerning papers of Claude Monet leaving Europe by mistake (10) DOCUMENTAL {CLAUDe+MONET}*

22 Press conference, initially in Pakistan (4) PACK {PA{Co...e}K}

23 Good French kiss in bed exuding first sign (6) BECKON {B{pECK}ON}

24 Playing polo — day before yesterday's final game (8) MONOPOLY {POLO}*<=>{MON} and {y...aY}

DOWN

1   Love exercising in section put up in plant (4,4) ALOE VERA {A{LOVE*}ERA<=}

2   Insect bite changing wife to model (4) GNAT GNA(-w+t)T

3   Father sadly parts without love (6) PASTOR {PAST{O}R*}

4   One engaged to check notes, basically with registered lender (8) FINANCER {FI{N}ANCE}{R}

5   House husband, in Delhi say embracing old method of treatment (10) HOMEOPATHY {HOME}{(~pati)PATHY} over {O}

6   Bird drone carries little weight (6) ?I?E?N (Addendum - PIGEON {P{1G}EON} - See comments)

8   Neural networks in my sets? (7,6) NERVOUS SYSTEM {MY+SETS}* [RA]

13 As per Spooner, old president avoids vehicles (4,6) DUMPTRUCKS (~ trump ducks to dumptrucks)

16 Eager to wear grandmother’s yellow clothes (8) NANKEENS {NAN{KEEN}S}

17 Free — one cryptic clue for fun (8) RIDICULE {RID}{1}{CLUE*}

19 Maybe Old Welsh regularly left homes (6) ABODES {mAyBe+OlD+wElSh}

20 What banks have done again for yield (6) RELENT {RE-LENT}

22 Flower distributor? (4) PIPE [CD]

Reference List

Pennies = P, Commercial = AD, Europe = E, Wife = W, Model = T, Registered = R, Old = O

Special, Sunday 23 Jan 2022, Veeyares

Three answers per commenter till 6 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)

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3186, Sunday 23 Jan 2022

ACROSS

1   Not just any flyer for a movie? (3,7) THE AVIATOR {THE}{AVIATOR}

6   Russian ruler 'beats a retreat' ... bottles it (4) TSAR [T]

9   Employee appraisal at the House of Lords? (4,6) PEER REVIEW {PEER}{REVIEW} [CD]

10 Repelled a raven, largely predatory beast (4) ORCA {A}{CROw}<=

12 Deaf-ish nans treated, being well looked after (2,4,5) IN SAFE HANDS*

15 More sickly, kind of green, perhaps slalomer's heading off (7) PEAKIER {PEA}{sKIER}

16 Morally improved duke earlier, becoming exalted (7) DEIFIED {(+d)DE(-d)IFIED}

17 Artist's empty landscapes' sad lines (1,1,5) L S LOWRY {La...eS}{LOW}{RY}

19 Hates seeing sights with son not about (7) DETESTS DETE(-c+s)STS

20 A sad, a bleak king ordered pudding (5,6) BAKED ALASKA {A+SAD+A+BLEAK+K}*

23 In France, one is where courses take a long time to get through (4) UNIS {UN}{IS}

24 Hoping for an 'h' sound (10) ASPIRATION [DD]

25 Made pencil portrait of Andy (4) DREW [DD]

26 Brand new day, etc, for coward (7-3) SCAREDY-CAT {SCAR}{DAY+ETC}*

DOWN

1   Gratuities regularly shunned; at a push, Everyman will chip in (4) TIPS {aT+a+PuSh} over {I}

2   Days before, golfer becomes upset (4) EVES <= 

3   State broadcast assessed value of Wimbledon champ (8,4) VIRGINIA WADE {VIRGINIA}{WADE}(~weighed)

4   Guide daughter to wear a sun-blocker (7) ADVISOR {A}{D}{VISOR}

5   Lover Federer admits was excessively giving? (7) OVERFED [T]

7   Spirited grittiness, tough in the extreme (10) STRINGIEST*

8   To talk with enthusiasm in talk about hard earth is exhausting at first (10) RHAPSODISE {R{H}AP}{SOD}{IS}{Ex...g}

11 This acid rain alarmed campaigners (9,3) CHRISTIAN AID*

13 Mesmerized by Alexander Graham's weight, according to Spooner (10) SPELLBOUND (~bells pound)

14 Arrangement of elements: potassium, nickel, iron and silver, in part (5,5) TABLE KNIFE {TABLE}{K}{NI}{FE}

18 Membrane unusually scaly? OK ... (4-3) YOLK-SAC*

19 File 'requiring less effort', fancifully? (7) DOSSIER (dossing more = dossier)

21 Realize, after losing six balls: it's a record (4) DISC DISCover

22 Commonly, Norseman underestimating tides, primarily? (4) CNUT Acrostic Semi&lit

Reference List

Duke = D, Lines = RY(Railway), Son = S, About = C, King = K, One in French = UN, Daughter = D, Hard = H

Special, Sunday 02 Jan 2022, IXL 2021 On Stage Final No 1, Dr. X

Three answers per commenter till 6 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)

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3183, Sunday 02 Jan 2022

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS

1   Old boy spouts about traditional knick-knacks (6,4) OBJETS D'ART {OB}{JETS}{TRAD<=}

6   Namby-pambies knocked back casserole (4) STEW<=

9   Perhaps fillies west of Tennessee oddly lacking judgment (5,5) HORSE SENSE {HORSES}{tEnNeSsEe}

10 Unattributed, somewhat uncanonical (4) ANON [T]

12 Since I'm talking to a techie: play in a forest! (2,3,4,2) AS YOU LIKE IT {AS}{YOU LIKE IT}

15 Inebriated tennis legend admitted by second doctor (7) SMASHED {S}{M{ASHE}D}

16 Confines criminal instead (7) DETAINS*

17 What's often part of underwear, laciest pants (7) ELASTIC* Semi&lit

19 Cat given stroke the wrong way by Everyman sore at each end (7) BURMESE {RUB}{ME}{SorE}

20 Misappropriation setter concealed. 'Not entirely perfect?' That's outrageous! (3,4,4) THE VERY IDEA {THiEVERY}{IDEAl}

23 Lazy superstar, we're told (4) IDLE (~idol)

24 Crude gluten isn't causing concern (10) UNSETTLING*

25 Very, very average (2-2) SO-SO {SO}{SO}

26 Coquette and Romeo finding depravity in China (3,7) TEA SERVICE {TEASE}{R}{VICE}

DOWN

1   Line for throwing in East End ball game (4) OCHE (~'ockey)

2   In France, I will take starters of raw kidney – idiot! (4) JERK {JE}{Raw}{Ki...y}

3   Strangely, he dreamt that he drank with a dormouse (3,3,6) THE MAD HATTER* Semi&lit

4   Apparently innocent, like Cupid? (3-4) DOE-EYED [DD]

5   Echo about coastal inlet (7) RESOUND {RE}{SOUND}

7   Reinserted fancy culinary implement (10) TENDERISER*

8   One smelling the roses, with an accent? (4,6) WINE TASTER &lit

11 Treat pet with trip to resort with gentle sounds (6-6) PITTER-PATTER {TREAT+PET+TRIP}*

13 Discovers a discoloration's covering half of saucer (10) ASCERTAINS {A}{S{sauCER}TAIN'S}

14 Persuade Greek character: talk up trinkets (10) BAGATELLES {SELL}{ETA}{GAB}<=

18 Spicy pepper: Rod has urge to tuck in (7) CAYENNE {CA{YEN}NE}

19 Baits burrowing creatures (7) BADGERS [DD]

21 Image of head seen in Identikit (4) TIKI [T]

22 Primarily obscenely / greedily / lecherously eye? (4) OGLE Acrostic &lit

Reference List

Old boy = OB, Traditional = TRAD. Second = S, Doctor = MD, Romeo = R, I in French = JE, About = RE

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday #67, Sunday 02 Jan 2022, Incognito

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday can be accessed at the link given below. You need to register and sign in using an email ID and password, subscription may or may not be required.

The crossword is not being blogged as the annotations are provided in the interactive version itself which can be seen if you click on 'Show a hint' under the 'reveal' tab on the top.

The same will be posted on every Sunday at 6 AM.

Link to the Crossword

Enjoy.

No 13102, Wednesday 25 Nov 2020, Arden

Solution to 29A 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.

ACROSS

1   Plant letting gents in shifts (8,6) STINGING NETTLE*

10 Maybe Russian returns to Texas city half-heartedly (5) SALAD DALlAS<=

11 Seafood — with shelled clam, tongues wag (9) LANGOUSTE {cLAm}{TOMGUES*}

12 Study covers abode in the sky, time for disagreement (7) DISSENT {D{ISS}EN}{T}

13 Crack up during watch, making things damp (7) SEEPAGE {SE{GAPE<}E}

14 Steal bowl in two pieces (5) PROWL Anno pending (Addendum - {PROW}{L} bow=prow - See comments)

16 Trouble between animal and insect, one will attack (9) ASSAILANT {ASS}{AIL}{ANT}

19 Break seal, try to bury the dead (3,2,4) LAY TO REST*

20 Assume a spot without pressure (5) ADOPT {A}{DO{P}T}

22 Dealt with danger, only whined (7) GROANED {DANGER+O}*

25 Inclination and skill required for defence (7) RAMPART {RAMP}{ART}

27 Daily covers match, shortly one faces rough music (9) CHARIVARI {CHA{RIVAl}R}{1}

28 Expression could be sans forced admission (5) IDIOM {IDIOM+SANS}*={ADMISSION} [CA]

29 Organising colonisers, half of them initially (5,9) L?R?E ?N?E?T?N?  (Addendum LARGE INTESTINE Organising COLONisers - See comments)

DOWN

2   Party divided over shifting stall, can’t believe it! (4,5) TALL STORY {T{STALL*}ORY}

3   Butt exposed around midnight (5) NUDGE {NUD{niGht}E}

4   One and all — pick up rag if nervous (3,2,4) ILL AT EASE {ALL}{1}<={TEASE}

5   Sun, for example rises, that’s class (5) GENUS {SUN}{EG}<=

6   Secrets of raising those missing high plants (9) ESOTERICA {ThOSE<=}{ERICA}

7   Inventor from South, heard in falsetto (5) TESLA [T<=]

8   Others following the first lady to the top (7) EVEREST {REST}<=>{EVE}

9   Usurped heartlessly, maybe there’s nothing left (4,2) USED UP USUrPED*

15 Could be online, say, from a French city (9) LYONNAISE*

17 Grumpy, like to go up and hit the sack by twelve latest (9) SATURNINE {AS<=}{TURN IN}{t...vE}

18 Love one to work for their share (9) ADORATION {A}{DO}{RATION}

19 Natural for soldier to enter bar (7) LOGICAL {LO{GI}CAL}

21 Shabby clothes Parisian friend spread on the floor (6) TATAMI {TAT}{AMI}

23 If exposed, won’t rain, try broadcasting (2,3) ON AIR {wONt}{rAIn}{tRy}

24 Removed and spent (5) DRAWN [DD]

26 Largest one in the middle is wet (5) MOIST {MO{1}ST}

Reference List

Time = T, Pressure = P, Only =O, Soldier = GI

No 12636, Monday 27 May 2019, Arden

ACROSS
1   Shirk work — in African countries one loses interest (8) MALINGER {MALI}{NiGER}
5   Put off over a quarter, sail shortened (6) REEFED {DEF{E}ER}<=
10 Spineless fellow, comes with his replacement in tow (7) DISHRAG {D{HIS*}RAG}
11 Phalanger's work — only believe when exposed (7) OPOSSUM {OP}{O}{aSSUMe}

12 Those in the middle find panel is stupid (5) INANE {fINd}{pANEl}
13 Boniface's store in exclusive surroundings... (9) INNKEEPER {INN{KEEP}ER}
14 ...till Charlie remains on record (4,8) CASH REGISTER {C}{ASH}{REGISTER}
18 It's crazy to go like that (5,3,4) ROUND THE BEND [C&DD]
21 In no state to go around in the night (9) NOCTURNAL {NO}{C{TURN}AL}
23 Poppycock about poison in the food (5) ROAST {RO{AS}T}
24 Repeat it time after time, I'm off! (7) ITERATE {IT}{ERA}{TimE}
25 Candidate has no prospect sweetheart (7) NOMINEE {NO}{MINE}{swEet}
26 Watergate — news trickled in from a winger (6) G?N?E? (Addendum - GANNET {GA(NN)ET*} - See comments}
27 Corral cattle — get a feeder, perhaps (8) PENSTOCK {PEN}{STOCK}

DOWN
1   Servant lets doctor in, capital! (6) MADRID {MA{DR}ID}
2   Sailor's a rogue, changing sides (6) LASCAR (-r+l)LASCA(-l+r)R
3   Nanny frisked — is unarmed (9) NURSEMAID*
4   Busy shipping lane gets language access (7,7) ENGLISH CHANNEL {ENGLISH}{CHANNEL}
6   Wear that Rodrick wears with ease (5) ERODE {E}{ROD}{E}
7   They are worried American vessels will take head of state by force (8) FUSSPOTS {F}{USS}{POT}{St..e}
8   Rum made with rare variety of sugarcane (8) DEMERARA {MADE+RARE}*
9   Make it even, rest under table (14) COUNTERBALANCE {COUNTER}{BALANCE}
15 He doesn't know if it's part of musical sign or a musical note (9) IGNORAMUS [T]
16 Cosby's invested some money on image building (8) BRANDING {B{RAND}ING}
17 Food served in the centre of slum, lights all around church (8) LUNCHEON {sLUm}{N{CH}EON}
19 Prison on beachhead built in Goa (6) BAGNIO* {Be..h}{IN+GOA}*
20 Characteristic run (6) STREAK [DD]
22 Consumption has partly gone up in Butane gas unit (5) USAGE [T<=]

GRID

No 12310, Monday 07 May 2018, Afterdark

ACROSS
1   Supervisor starts to question staff with hesitation (10) TASKMASTER {To}{ASK}{MAST}{ER}
6   Tendency to live by the book (4) BENT {BE}{NT}
10 Does BP fluctuate when tea is brewed in a vessel (9) SPEEDBOAT {DOES+BP+TEA}*
11 Its a joke to let go of female to be on right track (5) SPOOR {SPOOf}{R}
12 Out chasing a wide, perhaps heartlessly ruled! Next is not out, a ripping yorker to begin with. Amazing (13) EXTRAORDINARY {EXTRA}{O}{ RuleD}{IN}{A}{Ri...g}{Yo...r}
14 Desire to be in nylon garter (4) LONG (T)
15 Slow down, drive avoiding the median. Maintain speed following safety mark seen on lane ends (10) DECELERATE {DrivE}{CE}{LanE}{RATE}
17 Fortune-tellers are sarcastic, hold nothing inside and can almost read heartless devils (5,5) TAROT CARDS {TAR{O}T}{CAn}{R}{DevilS}
21 Set up model first and shoot (4) STEM {SET*}{Model}
23 Notice crowd in some odd area having a gin cocktail and mudslinging (5,8) SMEAR CAMPAIGN {SoMe }{AREA}* around {CAMP}{GIN*}
25 Animal discovered through DNA left over (5) ELAND {T<}
26 Not out to receive coaching but gain instinct (9) INTUITION {IN}{TUITION} Not out=in already used once in 12a
27 Bird's tail clipped at the top (4) TERN {sTERN}
28 Crowd centred around English king causing hindrance (10) DETERRENCE {CENTRED* around {E}{ER}

DOWN
1   Set off to market before teabreak to get tile (10) TESSELLATE {SET*}{SELL}{TEA*}
2   Aspartame has two smalls at ten and half beer later (9) SWEETENER {S}{WEE}{TEN}{be.ER}
3   My identity was almost suppressed in the centre (6) MIDWAY {M{ID}{WAs}Y}
4   Plague on the rise engulfing Colorado (7) SCOURGE {S{CO}URGE}
5   Join at ten to dance and drink (7) ENTWINE {TEN*}{WINE}
7   Poe repaired axes with adhesive, perhaps (5) EPOXY {POE*}{X and Y}
8   In India, you join navy for change (4) TURN {TU=you in Hindi RN}
9   Bolt at the end of race gets second point (6) ESCAPE {racE}{S}{CAPE}

13 For each individual facing trouble at the end, a bit of narcotics these days provide stability (10) PERMANENCE {PER}{MAN}{t...l E}{Na...s}{CE}
16 Friction is almost common after a teacher starts to get one working (9) ATTRITION {A}{Te...r}{TRITe}{1}{ON}
18 Latest sample sent across border (6) TRENDY {TR{END}Y}
19 TV slot's objective is to have one right episode basically (7) AIRTIME {A{1}{RT}IM}{e...dE}
20 Plan to close early and have a peg with new recruit (7) DRAFTEE {DRAFt}{TEE}
22 Prisoners with empty stomach become more agile (6) SPRIER {PRIsonERS*}
23 One step in song and dance covers the essence of drama (5) STAIR {ST{drAma}IR}
24 Seam pulled up, basically tampering on direction (4) WEST {SEW<}{Ta...g}

GRID

No 12019, Monday 29 May 2017, Arden

ACROSS
1   You can curl up and die reportedly in such a place (6,7) BEAUTY PARLOUR [CD]
10 Open shot — revolver recoils a bit (5) OVERT [T<=]
11 The osprey's off like magic (3,6) HEY PRESTO*
12 Aim between two points, as they are released (9) EMISSIONS {E}{MISSION}{S}
13 Distributed during trade, altered later (5) DEALT [T]
14 Cockney clue — reportedly felt sorry to break in (7) INTRUDE {~ 'int rued}
16 Partial towards grass cutting — awfully nice! (7) NEPOTIC {POT} in {NICE}*
18 Feel USA is becoming comfortable? (7) EASEFUL*
20 It will be thrown at an animal once more, shortly (7) ASSAGAI {ASS}{AGAIn}

22 The President has had a change of heart — he keeps moving around (5) TRAMP TR(-u+a)AMP
24 After three drinks, the French go for something non-alcoholic (6,3) GINGER ALE {GIN}GER A{LE} Anno pending
26 They're notarised correctly along the vertical axis (9) ORDINATES*
27 One line — the first clue is about the hip bone (5) ILIAC {1}{L}{A1}{Clue}
28 Too sick to study, desired to be free — short sighted? (3-10) ILL-CONSIDERED {ILL}-{CON}{DESIRED}*

DOWN
2   Poet's one leg is twisted, somewhat (7) ELEGIST [T]
3   Good enough until sun sets and forces follow (2,2,5) UP TO SNUFF {UPTO} {SUN}*{FF}
4   Villager picks up fodder and essential food (5) YAHOO {HAY<=}{fOOd}
5   Transformation is by Asian country, once (9) ABYSSINIA*
6   Cover over the old city, it's gruesome (5) LURID {L{UR}ID}
7   Johnny-come-lately's new venture showing turn over (7) UPSTART {START<=>UP}
8   In milk tooth I see an old picture (4,4,2,3) SOME LIKE IT HOT*
9  Storyteller's show of nervousness — permit him the freedom to play with words (6,7) POETIC LICENCE {POE}{TIC} {LICENCE}
15 Measures to take — not a big burden to teach (9) ENLIGHTEN {EN}{LIGHTEN}
17 "Go in peace" says the flyer (9) PASSERINE (~ pass serene)

19 Scrutinize any political party in India, it will raise a stink (7) SCANDAL {SCAN}{DAL}
21 Tearing away is hard (7) GRANITE*
23 It doesn't allow you to keep a nice cool head — on the contrary it does (5) PANIC [T]
25 Say something bad while promoting a Japanese born in America (5) NISEI {IE}{SIN}<=

GRID