Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 15, 2026
This proved to be my most difficult solve in a long time. And I had the embarrassment of originally posting this blog with 3 clues unexplained: 3d (CUBIT), 13 (FOR THE RECORD) and 21 (PARIS). My thanks to Tachi and Pelham Barton for explaining the last two of these.
I do think that Guy has some brilliant clues at 1a (BABY), 7 (SHERWOOD FOREST), 12 (TO TASTE) and 14 (TENNIS PRO).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BABY |
Loading area number two reported new delivery (4)
|
| Homophone (reported) of “bay B” (loading area number two) | ||
| 3 | CENSORED |
Cold, tender spot in heel checked for sensitivity (8)
|
| C (cold) + SORE (tender spot) in (in) END (heel) | ||
| 8 | DOUCHE BAG |
Awful blister that hurt in bed after Georgia rolled over (6,3)
|
| OUCH (that hurt) in GA (Georgia) + BED (bed) together backwards | ||
| 9 | EQUIP |
Supply crack online? (5)
|
| E-QUIP (crack online?) | ||
| 11 | EXCERPT |
Bit of work first for recycler, leaving out bottles (7)
|
| R[ecycler] in (bottles) EXCEPT (leaving out) | ||
| 12 | TO TASTE |
Where “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans…” leads? (As You Like It) (2,5)
|
| Double defintion | ||
| 13 | FOR THE RECORD |
Perhaps keep string to wrap present officially (3,3,6)
|
| FORT (keep) and CORD (string) wrapping HERE (present) | ||
| 17 | STANDING ROOM |
Space on packed bus replacement service for jilted bride? (8,4)
|
| STAND-IN (replacement) + GROOM (service for jilted bride) | ||
| 20 | RAVIOLI |
Artist and half orchestral players stuffed envelopes (7)
|
| RA (artist) + VIOLI[nists] (half orchestral players) | ||
| 21 | PANNIER |
On the way back, strap down load on bike (7)
|
| REIN (strap) + NAP (down) all backwards (on the way back) | ||
| 22 | TRUCE |
Conservative blocks loyal campaigners’ suspension (5)
|
| C (Conservative) in (blocks) TRUE (loyal) | ||
| 23 | PORBEAGLE |
Darwin’s ship led by sound of miserable shark (9)
|
| Homophone (by sound of) of “poor” (MISERABLE) + BEAGLE (Darwin’s ship). ‘Porbeagle’, a new word to me, is a voracious shark of the genus Lamna. | ||
| 24 | STOTIOUS |
Irish drunk promises to pay after second dram (8)
|
| S (second) + TOT (dram) + IOUS (promises to pay). ‘Stotious’, a new term to me, is Irish (and Scottish) slang for very drunk. | ||
| 25 | ARMY |
Host taking book from off his trolley (4)
|
| [b]ARMY (book from off his trolley) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BUDGET |
Cheap lager? Add to basket (6)
|
| BUD (lager, short for Budweiser) + GET (add to basket) | ||
| 2 | BRUNCH |
Republican in group eats at a funny time (6)
|
| R (Republican) in (in) BUNCH (group) | ||
| 3 | CUBIT |
Nearly all large parts shortened about 20 inches (5)
|
| ??? | ||
| 4 | NIGHTWEAR |
Whinge at drunken Romeo’s snoring habit? (9)
|
| Anagram (drunken) of WHINGE AT + R (Romeo) | ||
| 5 | OVER-THE-COUNTER |
English company incorporated by professed animal killer traded freely (4-3- 7)
|
| OVERT (professed) + E (English) + C (company) together in HUNTER (animal killer) | ||
| 6 | EMULSION |
Paint large bird and small that cat’s caught (8)
|
| EMU (large bird) + S (small) in (caught) LION (cat) | ||
| 7 | SHERWOOD FOREST |
Criminal here stood for sharing wealth, primarily (8,6)
|
| Anagram (criminal) of HERE STOOD FOR SHARING W[ealth] | ||
| 10 | PSEUDO |
Operation involving subs going north not what it seems (6)
|
| DUES (subs) in (involving) OP (operation) all backwards (going north) | ||
| 14 | TENNIS PRO |
Sinner top sort of this? (6,3)
|
| Anagram (sort of) SINNER TOP &Lit. | ||
| 15 | ESPRIT |
Funny sitrep entertaining intelligence (6)
|
| Anagram (funny) of SITREP. A sitrep is a military situation report. | ||
| 16 | FAN VAULT |
Lover bound architect’s splayed ribs (3,5)
|
| FAN (lover) + VAULT (bound) | ||
| 18 | FINGER |
Index for one name (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | ORNERY |
Characters edging over East River in New York habitually cross there (6)
|
| O[ve]R + E (east) + R (river) together in (in) NY (New York) | ||
| 21 | PARIS |
Place just a train ride from London remains sub-standard (5)
|
| IS (remains) sub PAR (standard) |
FOR THE RECORD = FORT (keep) and CORD (string) wrapping HERE (present)
PARIS = IS (remains) sub PAR (standard)
Thanks Pete and Guy. I too found this a bit of a headscratcher, but a good challenge.
IThanks Guy and Pete
13ac is HERE (present) in (to wrap) FORT (perhaps keep) + CORD (string), leaving “officially” for the definition.
21dn is IS (remains) below PAR (standard), Paris being a train ride from London by Eurostar through the Channel tunnel.
I could not get 3dn either.
I see Tachi got there first.
A couple of typos:
5dn: company gives CO, not just C.
7dn should be anagram of HERE STOOD FOR S[haring] W[ealth].
And of course there is a typo at the very beginning of my previous comment.