No 12401, Tuesday 21 Aug 2018, Incognito

ACROSS
1  "Commander's fit to capture stronghold — At ease!" (11) COMFORTABLE {COM}{FORT}{ABLE}
9   Rule Niger badly (5) REIGN*
10 I am on time, you hear! Without any preparation! (9) IMPROMPTU {I'M}{PROMPT}{U(~you)}
11 Abreast, like LR? (4,2,4) SIDE BY SIDE Definition by example
12 It's chokey for one just over 18 shortly (4) BRIG [DD] (Abvn of Brigadier)
13 Spoilt, stale unit (5) TESLA*
15 Indy team danced for Wodehouse's uncle? (8) DYNAMITE*
17 Ban bird's tap (8) STOPCOCK {STOP}{COCK}
19 Dramatist: "First, nothing less than 10 to the power of 100" (5) GOGOL GoOGOL
22 Din, in India, may follow this type of pain? (4) ACHE [DD]
23 Foreign country expels national leader resulting in estrangement (10) ALIENATION {ALIEN}{nATION}
26 Perhaps, trunk-callers erroneously telephone, substituting a nine, at first, for one six in the beginning (9) ELEPHANTS {TELEPH(-o+a+nine}ANE}*{Six} (Addendum - {TELEPH(-one+an)AN}*{Six} - See comments)
27 Goodbye, heads of all departments in English university (5) ADIEU Acrostic
28 Gardner lies about chief troublemakers (11) RINGLEADERS*

DOWN
1   Behind church, daughter consumes one large tot (5) CHILD {CH}{1}{L}{D}
2   Con man on the run consumes BLT preparation in the peak of European tourism (4,5) MONT BLANC {CON+MAN}* over {BLT}*

3   It's built with two rings and ellipse to start with serving no practical purpose (6) OTIOSE {O+O+ITS}*{El...e}
4   Unenthusiastically dresses pet lazily (7) TEPIDLY {PET*}{IDLY}
5   Bishop loves king? Novel, perhaps (4) BOOK {B}{OO}{K}
6   Sending out old wine and gin cocktail (9) EXPORTING {EX}{PORT}{GIN*}
7   Test paper, set without presence of PTA, is determined in advance (6) PRESET {TESt+paPER}*
8   Swiss psychiatrist is at the French forest (6) JUNGLE {JUNG}{LE}
14 Track deer footprints with some hesitation, followed by swallow, an insectivorous creature (5,4) SLOTH BEAR S{LOTH} {BEAR} Anno pending (Addendum - {SLOT}{He...n} BEAR} - See comments)

16 Increase, in Agra, government value added tax on energy (9) AGGRAVATE {AG{G}RA}{VAT}{E}
17 Reptiles slither? Ask Sen (6) SNAKES*
18 Foreign currency is with the Spanish officer (7) COLONEL {COLON}{EL}
20 Indian monkey found in Jalan Gurdwara (6) LANGUR [T]

21 Somehow aspire for Iran of yore (6) PERSIA*
24 Plants four Romans, that is, senators initially (5) IVIES {IV}{IE}{Se...s}
25 Mongolian ruler takes thousand ethnic Chinese (4) KHAN {K}{HAN}

GRID

No 12400, Monday 20 Aug 2018, Arden

ACROSS
1   The enlightened one came in half-heartedly — a bit constrained in the city (3,5) ABU DHABI {A}{BUDdHA}{BIt} Anno not clear See comments
5   It's pain to separate split ends — get a bag (6) SACHET {Spli{ACHE}T}
10 Perhaps Simpson assumed one's noble (7) BARONET {BAR{ONE}T}
11 Turn one into passive stuff (7) NEUTRON*
12 Countryman regularly misread quip (5) IRAQI {mIsReAd+QuIp}
13 Choose on the way, say a terminal (9) ELECTRODE {ELECT}{ROAD}(~road}
14 Finance it with old dirty secret (12) CONFIDENTIAL {FINANCE+IT+OLD}*
18 Carol's drinking wine, it's rose colour (8,4) SHOCKING PINK {S{HOCK}ING} {PINK}
21 Musical group with one playing a concertina (9) BANDONEON {BAND}{ONE}{ON}

23 A dolt returns the brush (5) LOOFA {A}{FOOL}<=
24 Plates for a meal in mess (7) LAMINAE*
25 Duck soup keeps Catholic saint in delirium (7) ECSTASY {E{C}{ST}ASY}
26 Refuse to stop copy — a complaint (6) APNOEA {AP{NO}E}{A}
27 Perhaps MGM America is meticulous... (8) STUDIOUS {STUDIO}{US}

DOWN
1   ... although part of the habit is collaboration (6) ALBEIT {ALB}{TIE<=} Collaboration = Tie up
2   Artificial neural network? (6) UNREAL*
3   Result is I toil with my arm (9) HANDIWORK {HAND}{I}{WORK}
4   However, fret over green — I'd be ham-handed (14) BUTTER FINGERED {BUT}{FRET<=}{GREEN+ID}*
6   A man, perhaps? (5) ADULT Def by example
7   Instrument doesn't have a tone (8) HARMONIC HARMONICa
8   Flashy and small, outside market (8) TINSELLY {TIN{SELL}Y}
9   Free Internet — has to rely on being mutually supportive (14) INTERDEPENDENT {INTER{DEPEND}ENT*}
15 Puzzled by new addition in done deal (9) NONPLUSED {N}{ON{PLUS}ED*}
16 She is sailable at sea (8) ISABELLA*

Then came shapely Isabella

From distant Jhumri Telaiya

As she danced

Men advanced

And had their arms twisted a la pasta filata!

By Bhargav

17 Monicker about to rise, Menon’s off (8) COGNOMEN {C}OG{MENON*} Anno for 'OG' pending (Addendum - {C}{GO<=}{MENON*} - See comments)
19 John's ascent in low state (6) MONACO {MO{CAN<=}O}
20 Old lechers stay, disrupt Rajya Sabha (6) SATYRS {STAY*}{RS}
22 Cat has power to jump (5) OUNCE pOUNCE* [CA]

GRID

Special, Sunday 19 Aug 2018, Karthikeyan

Three answers per commenter as usual till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory)
Please provide all your answers in one comment.

ACROSS
1   Peak influence involving husband and letters (8)
5   Seducement traps New Delhi fugitive (6)
10 Restrained office assistant capturing intelligence agency's a sycophant (7)
11 Alumnus dined after six to disappoint (7)
12 Fifty-one kilo energy not supplied initially shows some resemblance (6)
13 Across hundred initially with backward ratio to move cargo (8)
15 Metallic concerning unknown journalist aboard (5)
17 Flag leads to violent exchanges at the end of every year  (4)
18 Gawk at belvedere without unpleasant smell (4)
19 Carry kit straight into tennis court (4)
20 Leave as there is no love in South American capital (4)
21 Massive leap lacks finish, though by order initially (5)
23 Conversion theorem about mass shows resistance (8)
24 Being worthwhile, buys self-built in regular instalments (6)
27 Spherule permitted by medico before operation (7)
28 Endless egress with fish and renegading (7)
29 Unwanted ones not right? Expels (6)
30 Etymologist not on a closed plane figure but with fortune (8)

DOWN
1&9D  9.80665 m/s2  (12,3)
2   Frolic with sides changed leading to timber (5)
3   Penalty shot is more than enough (7)
4   The colour shown up by half-cut French cheese (4)
6   Onset amidst calamity (6)
7   Servant in lift carrying complex graph, an acoustic transducer (9)
8   Half theory troubles the fops glide at the fastest rate (3,5,2,5)
9   See 1 dn (2,7)
14 Desparate plea tutee makes clothing ornament (9)
16 Spontaneous helper invested in old mineral (9)
21 Fair if play ends in merit (7)
22 Fanatic craze a lot of people have (6)
25 Father sick of unnecessary feature (5)
26 Show from retro comedy (4)

Across Lite version can be downloaded from the link at KARTHIK 2

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3009, Sunday 19 Aug 2018

ACROSS
1 Conservative in frivolous manoeuvre (6) JOCKEY {JO{C}KEY}
4 Revolutionary objections, given life, becoming persistent (8) STUBBORN {BUTS<=}{BORN}
9 Great cricketer getting on a bit, wildly theatrical player (3,6) IAN BOTHAM {ON+A+BIT}*{HAM}
11 Note odd parts of creeds intertwined (5) LACED {LA}{CrEeDs}
12 Avoiding noise in electronic projection (7) ELUDING {E}{LU{DIN}G}
13 Officer repeated phrase after woman (7) SHERIFF {SHE}{RIFF}
14 Usual rule newly broken by good, popular science fiction writer (6,2,4) URSULA LE GUIN {G} in {USUAL+RULE}* and {IN}
18 Survey held as designed by alien for sensational publication (7,5) SCANDAL SHEET {SCAN}{HELD+AS}*{ET}
21 Rush revision of a file without one blank page (7) FLYLEAF {FLY}{A+FiLE}*

22 Element in place of education probed by artist with doubtful expression (7) URANIUM {U{RA}NI}{UM}
24 Better time secured by old pair in retirement (5) OUTDO {T} in {O}{DUO}<=
25 Exactly the same dialect in broadcast (9) IDENTICAL*
26 Daughter with resolution wise to get equestrian training (8) DRESSAGE {D}{RES}{SAGE}

27 Limits abandoned by bishop giving commands (6) ORDERS bORDERS

DOWN
1 Enlisted, being coherent (6-2) JOINED-UP [DD]
2 Prisoner with search for occupation (8) CONQUEST {CON}{QUEST}
3 Icon? Judge one after protest without depth (5) EMOJI {dEMO}{J}{1}
5 Arrangement of minuet is great, giving indication of rhythm (4,9) TIME SIGNATURE*
6 Reports, learner admitted, restricted by coach? (9) BULLETINS {BU{L}{LET IN}S}
7 Flower kept by porch ideally (6) ORCHID [T]
8 Fall asleep? Certainly not with party very loud (3,3) NOD OFF {NO}{DO}{FF}
10 Elated, settle project and dance (8,5) HIGHLAND FLING {HIGH}{LAND} {FLING}

15 Clues all over the place about main character being lustful (9) LECHEROUS {LEC{HERO}US*}
16 Simple holding company I had set up, undistinguished (8) MEDIOCRE {CO}{I'D}<= in {MERE}
17 Raised cases involving obstinate type lacking energy and incentive (8) STIMULUS {MULe} in {SUITS<=}
19 Bear cost of offer (6) AFFORD [DD]
20 Expression of surprise over gardener's latest story after loss of a shrub (6) MYRTLE {MY}{g...eR}{TaLE}

23 Stumble, not following convert (5) ALTER fALTER

GRID