No 14072, Monday 15 Jan 2024, Afterdark

HAPPY PONGAL

Solution to 8D 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   Logical to back a new police officer at institute to be encouraging (13) INSPIRATIONAL {RATIONAL}<=>{1}{N}{SP}{I}

10 Upgrading commercial vehicle using CGI creatively ushering in new beginning (9) ADVANCING {AD}{VAN}{CI{New}G*}

11 Forge case (5) FRAME [DD]

12 Members of Satsang elated by saint (5) ANGEL [T]

13 Loner's opening very short and tense (9) INTROVERT INTROVERT {INTRO}{VERy}{T}

14 Eventually, by losing following and some supremacy, feminist will be broken (2,4) IN TIME fEMINIsT*

16 Current loadshed dynamic in parts (4) EDDY [T]

19 Overthrown king unlocked (4) AJAR <=

20 Increasing verbosity! Sack the leader (6) ADDING pADDING

25 A fine caterer employed for medical support (9) AFTERCARE {A}{F}{CATERER*}

26 Sailor's a feet from facing toward the stern (5) ABAFT {AB}{A}{FT}

27 Some infection in game leads to life-threatening disease (5) POLIO {POL{In...n}O}

28 After leaving Goa, aborigine wandering worried with drunkard (9) INEBRIATE {aBoRIgINE}*{ATE}

29 Brainwashed dictator in den scheming (13) INDOCTRINATED* 

DOWN

2   Direct vehicle to reverse near entrance beyond second pillar (8) NAVIGATE {VAN<=}{GATE} over {pIl..r}

3   Board will finally interfere to check misfired plan (5) PANEL {PAN{i...rE}L*}

4   Stirred martinis spending money and some tips for Sultana, perhaps (6) RAISIN mARtINIS*

5   Pronto, get heroine extract as a team (8) TOGETHER [T]

6   Shifted food afield to be distributed after deiodination (9) OFFLAODED {FOOD+AFiELD}*

7   Surprised that an E-Commerce giant is off feeds frequently (6) AMAZED {AMAZon}{fEeDs} 'off' or 'not off'? See comments 

8   Half of country wants a cricket team for state (6) ?A?A?I (Addendum - MALAWI {MALAysia}{WI} - See comments) 

9   Say, canines getting unhinged run amok on eighteenth (5) TEETH  eighTEEnTH

15 Steward with serious mood swings (5-4) MAJOR-DOMO {MAJOR}{MOOD*}

17 Musician at first was backed by agency (8) ORGANIST {1ST}<=>{ORGAN}

18 Idol facing, say, disgrace to wander off (8) DIVAGATE {DIVA}{GATE}

21 0-1, got her in rally (6) RATHER Anno pending (Addendum - GATHER {G(-o+a)AT+HER} - See comments)

22 Vixen is glad when power's right (5) HARPY HAR(-r+p)PY

23 Nicked to first slip, Len caught the first ball (6) STOLEN {Slip}{LEN} over {The}{O}

24 Oriental people follow visionary finally, one from Middle East (6) YEMENI {E}{MEN} after {v...rY} then {1}

26 Say, vessel held in Malta or Taiwan (5) AORTA [T]

Reference List

Institute = I, New = N, Tense = T, Fine = F, Sailor = AB, Money = M, Power = P, Right = R, Oriental = E

Special, Sunday 14 Jan 2024, IXL 23 Onstage Finals 1, Avtaar

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 3289, Sunday 14 Jan 2024

HAPPY PONGAL

ACROSS

1   Curtail relaxation that includes brief prank (8) RESTRICT {RES{TRICk}T}

5   Wholesaler offloading dodgy sole; I'm seeking something more substantial (6) WHALER WHolesALER

10 Cold blast, heading off for hot buttered food? (7) CRUMPET {C}{tRUMPET}

11 24/7 drama, two Poles given crown (3-4) NON-STOP {NO}{NS}{TOP}

12 Weariness concerning, you and I said (5) ENNUI (~ 'n u i)

13 No, outlive inferior – as part of this? (9) EVOLUTION* Semi&lit

14 In recompense, arranged for attendance everywhere (12) OMNIPRESENCE*

18 Latest: nephew that is detained by nuns for causing trouble (12) INCONVENIENT {IN CONVE{Ne...w}{IE}NT}

21 Implausibly cheers up touring large tomb (9) SEPULCHRE {CHEERS+UP}* over {L}

23 Lost in fantasies regularly, abstracted at first (2,3) AT SEA {fAnTaSiEs}{Ab...d}

24 To some extent, fear a cheesy auricular annoyance (7) EARACHE [T]

25 Volunteering work repeatedly trendy: good (7) OPINING {OP}{IN}{IN}{G}

26 Starters of niçoises: endives cored, stale, curl up (6) NESTLE {Ni...s}{En...s}{STaLE}

27 Hide, hold back, becoming more emaciated (8) SKINNIER {SKIN}{REIN<=}

DOWN

1   Leaves, getting reprimand (6) ROCKET [DD]

2   Turns down incentives including bit of nepotism (6) SPURNS {SPUR{Ne...m}S}

3   Resort with Everyman, from the outset, nagging people to fix things (9) REPAIRMEN {REPAIR}{ME}{Na...g}

4   'We're N.I.C.E. Health questionable? Exercise!' (9-5) CATHERINE WHEEL*

6   Believer in growth industries, partly (5) HINDU [T]

7   Lazy type rising, transfixed by a TV showing foreign nationals (8) LATVIANS {SNAIL<=} over {A}{TV}

8   Regretted sports lesson having torn around centre field in the end (8) REPENTED {RE{PE}NT}{c...rE}{f..lD}

9   One that'll go off, but won't hit the roof? (6,8) INDOOR FIREWORK [CD]

15 Impression is a success (9) SENSATION [DD]

16 Physicist in 90s, sprightly (8) EINSTEIN*

17 Staves conferred extremely piously to represent elevated status, primarily? (8) SCEPTRES Acrostic &lit

19 Anglo-Saxon meeting with keen Spanish affirmation in old Italian town (6) ASSISI {AS}{SI}{SI}

20 Car, old sausage (6) BANGER [DD]

22 This describes something healthier in the pub (2-3) LO-CAL {LOCAL}

Reference List

Cold = C, Drama = NO, Poles = N,S, Large = L, Trendy = IN, Good = G, Sports = PE, Spanish affirmation = SI