No 14635, Monday 10 Nov 2025, Pixie Dust

Solution to 24D 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   Abet an assault? (4,2) BEAT UP {ABET}* [RA]

5   Performed without a couple of fellows, basically entitled and pompous (8) AFFECTED {A{FF}{En...d}CTED}

9   Curiously never heard this sound mixer? Ha! (8) REVEREND {REVEREND+HA}*={NEVER+HEARD}  Have heard of Reverb but not Reverend?

10 About fifty one extremely curious artefacts (6) RELICS {RE}{LI}{Cu...uS}

11 Short of cash and worried about tuition expenses mainly (10) STRAITENED {STRAI{Tu...n}{Ex...s}NED}

12 Start cycling? Forget it! (4) NOPE (+n)NOPE(-n)

13 Be wrong about Auditor's girl Judith - extremely gullible (8) MISJUDGE {(~miss)MIS}{JUD}{Gu...lE}

16 Some gold-digger manipulates person from Wolfsburg (6) GERMAN [T]

17 Women and young men from Scotland ignoring date (6) LADIES LADdIES

19 As per Spooner, legendary murderer with ordinary Mac! (8) RAINCOAT (cain rote to raincoat)

21 Took mob regularly to mausoleum (4) TOMB {ToOk+MoB}

22 I do rant about being repeatedly employed in a religious ceremony? (10) ORDINATION [Letter Bank]

25 Stab every one after killing guards in public house (6) TAVERN {sTAb}{eVERy}{oNe}

26 Esoteric doctrine is somehow balsamic (8) CABALISM*

27 Fish box loses lid to reel awkwardly (8) MACKEREL {sMACK}{REEL*}

28 Display old model (6) EXPOSE {EX}{POSE}

DOWN

2   Found in seventeenth episode (5) EVENT [HIPS]

3   Greek character at the building (5) THETA*

4   Gathered son left contented around 3rd of October (7) PLEATED PLEA(-s+t)TED

5   Depression's controlled by beer and pasta (firm to the bite) (2,5) AL DENTE {AL{DENT}E}

6   Confusion about one blood-coloured decorative metal support (7) FIREDOG {F{1}{RED}OG}

7   Something related to time measurement and circle perhaps (9) CALENDRIC*

8   Doctor can help European and American with brains (9) ENCEPHALA {CAN+HELP+E}* {A}

14 From the onset Ivana noticed Adam Marsh openly riling and tormenting Albert's mistress (9) INAMORATA Acrostic

15 Bail a jerk out resulting in a shortened sentence? (9) JAILBREAK*

18 Beginning to secretly trap a contemptuous person (7) SCORNER {Se...y}{CORNER}

19 Will a CID arrive to capture revolutionary militant (7) RADICAL [T<=]

20 Endlessly low being, perhaps (7) IGNOBLE {LOw+BEING}* Semi-&lit

23 In France you have margin for bloomer (5) TULIP {TU}{LIP}

24 Shelter love warts and all! (5) O?S?S (Addendum - OASIS {O}{AS IS} - See comments)

Reference List

Fellow = F, About = RE, Fifty one = LI, Date = D, Old = EX, European = E, American = A, You in French = TU

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 29, 09 November 2025, Gussalufz

NINE CROWNS

ACROSS

9   Upset jinn tore packages (Ali ultimately put pieces together) (9) INTERJOIN*  {JINN+TORE}* over {alI}

10 Devise escape mechanism (5) HATCH [DD]

11 Tiny piece of moon brought back in casing of graphite (7) GRANULE {Gr..{LUNAR<=}...tE}

12 Monkey kept in section with low wall (7) PARAPET {PAR{APE}T}

13 Good—indeed, fantastic conclusion by umpire raising finger after catch? (5) EDGED {ED{G}ED*}

14 Prospect of naughty lap dances? (9) LANDSCAPE*

16 Father had potato (fried), just like that (2,3,4,2,1,3) AT THE DROP OF A HAT*

19 Bars illegal shoe sale arresting touts at the centre (3,6) ALE HOUSES {SHOE+SALE}* over {toUts}

22 Bore child with tips on debate after retirement (5) TOTED {TOT}{De..tE<=} 

24 Fish amino acid he took very regularly? (7) ANCHOVY {AmiNo+aCid+He+tOok+VerY}

26 Bleak country—in short, there's no hospital! (7) AUSTERE {AUS}{ThERE}

27 Question: best current opener in cricket? (5) TOPIC {TOP}{I}{Cr...t}

28 Intimacy on the counter? Lust, getting wasted in odd places? Setter has concerning long-term wild reproduction consequences (9) EVOLUTIVE {LOVE<=}{lUsT}{I'VE}

DOWN

1   Wife has one scrambled egg and third of milk shake (6) WIGGLE {W}{1}{EGG+miLk}*

2   Direct eccentric star and topless 8 (8) STRAIGHT {STAR*}{eIGHT} 

3   Gussalufz's "EZ" or most elementary level? (6,4) GROUND ZERO {EZ+OR}* [RA] What's the role of Gussalufz?

4   Annoy gangster from the north (6) BOREAL {BORE}{AL}

5   Criticize revolutions over quick chat (4-4) SNIP-SNAP {PAN}{SPINS}<=

6   Overcook chicken horribly and ruin starters (4) CHAR Acrostic

7   Ideal place, you said, to quietly and heartily flirt with one (6) UTOPIA {(~you)U}{TO}{P}{flIrt}{A}

8   With husband near America, send message around noon: "Anything else we can do?" (4,4) WHAT NEXT {W}{H}{A}{T{N}EXT}

15 Foetus sits fooling around in this body part (4,6) SOFT TISSUE*

16 Perennial bloomer, "Amar _____ Anthony," releasing on Sunday, finally (8) AMARANTH {AMAR}{ANTHony}

17 Blowing top, fought about company's latest updated design (8) RESTYLED {wRESTL{c...nY}ED}

18 Lizard spoiled the raita (8) HATTERIA*

20 Key feature of rogue's capers (6) ESCAPE [T]

21 Sailor departs around first half of dawn after getting up (3,3) SEADOG {GO{DAwn}ES}<=

23 More yawning from the German bored by Go round (6) DEEPER {D{PEE<=}ER}

25 Main killer or essentially reluctant associate? (4) ORCA {OR}{reluCtant}{A}

Reference List

Good = G, Hospital = H, Wife = W, Gangster = AL(Capone), Quietly = P, With = W, Husband = H, America = A, Noon = N, The in German = DER, Go = PEE, Associate = A