Crossword for Friday 18 September 2026

Across

1. 1. The 'impetus' for a Vijay Super…or a lazypants, say
2. 5. Most pre-Gen Z Indians got a 'tight' one at least once, growing up
3. 9. With -age, what an estate aspires to
4. 10. The R in RPG; an actor's part in a film or show
5. 11. A dacoit gang's 'project'; what you find in a crate in BGMI
6. 12. 'Headwear' for the 'innocent' emoji
7. 13. Expectation from a participant in a Zoom call, say
8. 15. Iconic franchise with an almost-threequel
9. 16. Word before going or chair
10. 18. With 26A, tie-breaker in some forms of cricket
11. 21. Famous quizmaster, and when anglicised, big name in audio equipment
12. 22. What used socks give off
13. 26. See 18A
14. 27. (Hindi) Ingredient for kulfi or peda
15. 28. Monica, Kabir or Kiran
16. 29. JD(U) to BJP or Congress, pragmatically

Down

1. 1. "Alter-ego" of the one celebrated in October by Bengalis
2. 2. One of the many that vie for space on your screen
3. 3. What you would do to remove a photobomber out of the frame
4. 4. (Sanskrit) Half the name of the rare icy celestial body that means "smoke-bannered"
5. 5. abbr. Successor to Deccan Chargers
6. 6. Big amounts
7. 7. Steel, for iron
8. 8. The "Heimdall" of the big babu's office, so to speak
9. 14. Letter that looks like the junction it names
10. 17. What fresh coffee gives off
11. 18. Parents' one-word advice to a newly employed child
12. 19. ___ and abused
13. 20. The partner of 23D
14. 21. abbr. Bank started by the Gaekwad dynasty in 1908
15. 23. (Hindi) Pulse that keeps its name after being cooked
16. 24. Soundless night predator
17. 25. Fish likened to a bat in coastal Maharashtra