No 14676, Saturday 27 Dec 2025, Dr. X

 ACROSS
1 Dynamic gaoler surely has good collection of mugshots (6,7) ROGUE'S GALLERY {GAOLER SURELY}* over {G}

8 Hot escort in retreat entertaining fifty scoundrels (5) HEELS {H}{S{L}EE<}
9 Kids of India's top detective inspector caught breaking laws (9) RIDICULES {R{India}{DI}{C}ULES}
11 & 7 What billiards player will do// to make the first move (3,3,4,7) GET THE BALL ROLLING [DD]
12 Chemical element extracted from quartz in colliery (4) ZINC [T]

14 Mask for each lad and gal at centre (7) PERSONA {PER}{SON}{gAl}
16 One collecting hard pebbles on a beach (7) SHINGLE {S{H}INGLE}

17 Uproar in trial involving oriental politician (7) TEMPEST {T{E}{MP}EST}
19 Excellent associate tackling good boy's recurrent neurological disorder (7) AGNOSIA {A{G}{SON<}I}{A}
21 Stop bowler crossing line (4) HALT {HA{L}T}
22 Pop a capsule to gain power and energy? Nonsense! (5,5) APPLE SAUCE {A CAPSULE}* around {P} then {E}
25 Director's explanation about year with ultimately horrendous period of low rainfall (3,6) DRY SEASON {D}{R{Y}{horrendouS}EASON}
26 Individual, tense about season's first outbreak (5) ONSET {ON{Season}E}{T}
27 Unintentional errors by doctor ultimately worsened fissure in pal (8,5) FREUDIAN SLIPS {worseneD FISSURE IN PAL}*

DOWN
2 Row about retreat getting poor rating, perhaps (3-4) ONE-STAR {O{NEST}AR}
3 One's old chum struggling without money is not educated (10) UNSCHOOLED {ONE'S OLD CHUm}*
4 Woody plant or bush perhaps? About right (5) SHRUB {BUSH}* around {R}
5 Asian lad wandering around posh Spanish region (9) ANDALUSIA {ASIAN LAD}* around {U}

6 Lady getting excellent thong (4) LACE {L}{ACE}
7 See 11 Across
8 Intoxicated prince irritated soprano (4-7) HIGH-PITCHED {HIGH}{P}{ITCHED}

10 Spy rebellious teenagers consuming cocaine near bar (6,5) SECRET AGENT {TEENAGERS}* around {C} then {T}
13 One supporting key player tottering in a spot near restroom in retreat (5,5) PIANO STOOL {IN A SPOT}*{LOO<}

15 Accepted suggestion to have new wine and Italian appetisers (9) ANTIPASTI  {A}{TIP} about {N} then{ASTI}

18 Start to make film about a city in Iran (7) MALAYER {Make}{LAYER} about {A}
20 Tree in ordinary park outside ancient city (7) SOURSOP {SO-SO}{P} around {UR}

23 Soviet leader accepted by revolutionary men in election (5) LENIN [T<]

24 Live with a posh boyfriend  (4) BEAU {BE}{A}{U}

REFERENCE LIST

Good=G, Hot=H, Fifty=L, Detective Inspector=DI, Caught=C, Hard=H, Oriental=Eastern=E, Politician=MP, Excellent=AI, Associate=A, Line=L, Power=P, Energy=E, Director=D, Year=Y, Tense=T, Money=M, Right=R, Posh=U, Lady=L, Prince=P, Cocaine=C, Bar=T, Accepted=A, New=N, Park=P, Ancient City=Ur.

No 14672, Tuesday 23 Dec 2025, Incognito

Solution to 12A 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

8   Travel permit is possessed by Virginia (4) VISA {V{IS}A} 

9   Boy with disability of leg produced airship (5) BLIMP {B}{LIMP}

10 Club held by senorita on return (4) IRON [T<=]

11 Church primate and student in small place of prayer (6) CHAPEL {CH}{APE}{L}

12 Taking care of food fish (8) T?C?L?N?  (Addendum - TACKLING {TACK}{LING} - See comments)

13 Start paying former European currency for stamp on mail (8) POSTMARK {Pa...g}{OST}{MARK}

15 Optical illusion arising from processing image around end of summer (6) MIRAGE {MI{s...eR}AGE*}

17 Sheds a son let by mistake (4-3) LEAN-TOS*

19 Liar not confused... is being prosecuted (2,5) ON TRIAL*

22 Problems from sons and daughters, for example (6) ISSUES [DD]

24 What a darner can do to improve relationships? (4,4) MEND TIES [DD]

26 Criminal lawman and magician (8) CONJUROR {CON}{JUROR}

28 Saint surrounded by snakes brags (6) BOASTS {BOA{ST}S}

30 Clues "Bonus payments" (4) TIPS [DD]

31 In absence of haste, sneak thief produces weapon (5) KNIFE {sNeaK+thIEF}*

32 Sailors and co-stars giving up cabbage (4) TARS cosTARS

DOWN

1   Desire wife's hot (4) WISH {W}{IS}{H}

2   President's following god and small Russian monk (8) RASPUTIN {PUTIN}<=>{RA}{S}

3   Lincoln takes some liability for flowering plant (6) ABELIA {ABE}{LIAb...y}

4   See 16 Down 

5   Astronaut's name is wrongly written... throw caps first (8) SPACEMAN {NAME}*<=>{CAPS}*

6   German leader may be lithe, right? (6) HITLER {LITHE+R}*

7   Girl with personal dress (4) GOWN {G}{OWN}

14 Follows orders from old Ottoman governor and head of state (5) OBEYS {O}{BEY}{St..e}

16 & 4 Serious error... like burying someone alive! (5,7) GRAVE MISTAKE [DD]

18 What the batsman was when he refused to bat? (2,6) ON STRIKE [DD] 

20 Takes back on pieces of land (8) RETRACTS {RE}{TRACTS}

21 Implicate male in boiler explosion (7) EMBROIL {E{M}BROIL*}

23 United Nations only? Not fair! (6) UNJUST {UN}{JUST}

25 Caught retired dean hugging a couple of boys (6) NABBED {DE{BB}AN<=}

27 Romanov ideally shelters poet (4) OVID [T]

29 Biting pastry (4) TART [DD]

Reference List

Boy = B, Church = CH, Student = L, Saint = ST, Cabbage = COS, Wife = W, Hot = H, Small = S, Right = R, Girl = G, Old = O, On = RE, Male = M, Boy = B

No 14671, Monday 22 Dec 2025, Incognito

Solution to 10A 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

7   Cry at sea (4) AHOY [CD]

8   Explain, "It's intricate" (9) ELABORATE [DD]

10 Foreigners having right in Assam (6) ?L?E?S (Addendum - ALIENS {A{LIEN}S} - See comments)

11 New iPod lost in MIT centre (8) MIDPOINT {MI{N+IPOD}*T}

12 Go back and sketch (8) WITHDRAW {WITH}{DRAW}

14 Reveal evil changes by United Nations (6) UNVEIL {EVIL}*<=>{UN}

16 Poster about meandering river came (7) ARRIVED {A{RIVER}*D}

18 Insects behind tea-cup (7) CHALICE {LICE}<=>{CHA}

21 Saint, with tears, removes clothes (6) STRIPS {ST}{RIPS}

23 Filming a sort of star (8) SHOOTING [DD]

25 Mother takes vehicle on island to get some pasta (8) MACARONI {MA}{CAR}{ON}{I}

27 Small stones starting to litter behind burial site (6) GRAVEL {Li...r}<=>{GRAVE}

29 Clearly inform: "Place" with this type of clue (3,6) PUT ACROSS {PUT}{ACROSS}

30 Suspend in Changanassery (4) HANG [T] What a coincidence. I am blogging on the train and it is just crossing Changanaserry

DOWN 

1   Colder hill has rice transplanted around it (8) CHILLIER {HILL} in {RICE}*

2   Park in London for literary doctor (4) HYDE [DD]

3   I'm leaving Emirates to make promotional trailer (6) TEASER EmiRATES*

4   Why moa dances on small ricks of dried grass? (7) HAYMOWS {WHY+MOA}*{S}

5   Abe leaving shoulder bag when travelling for migration with motive of mining precious metal (4,4) GOLD RUSH {SHOULDeR+baG}*

6   Mexican food available in Delta, Colorado (4) TACO [T]

9   What nine playing around university experienced? (5) ENNUI {ENN{U}I*}

13 Model leaving Tahiti... making for Caribbean country (5) HAITI tAHITI*

15 Virginia permitted manservant (5) VALET {VA}{LET}

17 Displace cones at northern church lodge (8) ENSCONCE {CONES}*{N}{CE}

19 Pertains to business firms (8) CONCERNS [DD]

20 Actor Justin overacting partially (7) USTINOV [T]

22 Vagrant's tense on sloping road (5) TRAMP {T}{RAMP}

24 Endlessly more gas producing intense pleasure? (6) ORGASM {MORe+GAS}*

26 Wager in Canterbury (4) ANTE [T]

28 To some extent, brash yachter is pale (4) ASHY [T]

Reference List

Saint = ST, Small = S, University = U, Model = T, Northern = N, Church = CE,  Tense = T