Daily hard — 2026-09-13

Across

1. 1. Examples include sperm and ova in humans. (7)
2. 4. Diagnostic method often used in cardiology (12)
3. 5. One of the Fellowship, he is a son of Thranduil. (7)
4. 7. Essential knots used for securing a boat to a dock. (8)
5. 10. Service founded in 1958, named after a Nebraska college professor. (11)
6. 11. A person who collects money for a business or organisation. (6)
7. 12. Failures in a comedic performance, often intentional (5)
8. 16. Idiom used when someone struggles with fine motor skills (9)
9. 17. A type of rabbit used historically in Le Lapin de Velours (5)
10. 18. Describes a window divided into sections or lights. (5)
11. 19. This American actor was also a prominent political activist. (7)
12. 20. There are sixteen of these in a pound. (6)
13. 22. Describes a card requiring no subsequent payment (7)
14. 23. Messages indicating fresh information or danger (8)
15. 24. Alkaloid derived from opium, used in medicine and illicitly. (7)
16. 25. Study of population trends, notably in elections (11)

Down

1. 2. Genus of flagellated protists named after a Greek word for 'well' (7)
2. 3. Locations for informal discussions or breakroom banter. (12)
3. 6. Tropical cocktail made with rum and coconut cream (11)
4. 8. In a game of poker, the best hand involves this quality. (8)
5. 9. Social faux pas often seen in public transport situations. (12)
6. 13. Philosophical divisions in Kant's framework. (10)
7. 14. Historic port city in North East England with strong football roots. (10)
8. 15. Term often used to describe a team that can't be beaten. (11)
9. 20. Nickname of Nadya Suleman, famous for her large family (7)
10. 21. Essential step in cloud storage management (6)