Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 22, 2026
As usual, I enjoyed this puzzle from Rosa but, like last week, I was left with a clue for which I could not figure out the wordplay. This was 2 MOUSTACHE. Now I have completed the blog thanks to help from Pelham Barton and Tony Santucci. My favourites are 4 (CUL-DE-SAC), 5 (UNSEALS), 10 (BLUEGRASS) and 15 (ORCHIDS). Thank you Rosa.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ADMIRE |
Compliment and regularly laud Slough (6)
|
| [l]A[u]D + MIRE (slough) | ||
| 4 | CUL-DE-SAC |
“Dead end” clued as “bum, cold” (3-2-3)
|
| Anagram (bum) of CLUED AS + C (cold) | ||
| 10 | BLUEGRASS |
Sad person singing country music (9)
|
| BLUE (sad) + GRASS (person singing) | ||
| 11 | SPAWN |
Cross about wife and kids (5)
|
| W (wife) in (about) SPAN (cross) | ||
| 12 | TA-TA |
See you in Egypt, at Aswan (2-2)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 13 | BANANA SKIN |
Barmy relatives providing element of slapstick (6,4)
|
| BANANAS (barmy) + KIN (relatives) | ||
| 15 | ORCHIDS |
Centre of Cork carpeted with small flowers (7)
|
| [c]OR[k] + CHID (rarpeted) + S (small) | ||
| 16 | SPRING |
Season sprout well (6)
|
| Triple definition. I originally saw this as a double definition but am now satisfied that it is a triple. | ||
| 19 | MERCIA |
Bond’s boss spies on monarch in old kingdom (6)
|
| M (Bond’s boss) + ER (monarch) + CIA (spies) | ||
| 21 | FINICKY |
Lauda broadcast on motor racing in particular (7)
|
| FI (motor racing) + NICKY (homphone of “Niki”). With Lauda referring to the late Niki Lauda motor-racing champion and one-time airline owner. | ||
| 23 | UNMOLESTED |
Left in peace, played solemn duet (10)
|
| Anagram (played) of SOLEMN DUET | ||
| 25 | LUDO |
Lord in court over game (4)
|
| LUD (lord in court) + O (over) | ||
| 27 | SATYR |
Half-cut saps finally get your goat (5)
|
| SA[ps] + [ge]T + YR (your). I do not recall seeing YR as an abbreviation of ‘your’ but Collins validates it. | ||
| 28 | UTTERANCE |
Statement from unqualified civil engineer following article (9)
|
| UTTER (unqualified) + AN (article) + CE (civil engineer). I am not used to this meaning of ‘utter’. My Collins suggests that it is an American usage more than a British one. | ||
| 29 | IRRIGATE |
Irish capital both sides of the water (8)
|
| IR (Irish) + RIGA (capital) + T[h]E | ||
| 30 | GALLON |
Cycling along after drinking fifty eight pints (6)
|
| L (fifty) in ALONG circularly shifted one character | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | AMBITION |
Reach home, full of love and aspiration (8)
|
| AMBIT (reach) + O (love) in (full of) IN (home) | ||
| 2 | MOUSTACHE |
Woman’s focus: get rid of long whiskers (9)
|
| M (focus of woman, i.e. middle letter) + OUST (get rid of) + ACHE (long) | ||
| 3 | RAGE |
Raving of guy on Ecstasy (4)
|
| RAG (guy) + E (Ecstasy) | ||
| 5 | UNSEALS |
Opens sensual novel (7)
|
| Anagram (novel) of SENSUAL | ||
| 6 | DESPAIRING |
Disconsolate old man wanting hugs (10)
|
| PA (old man) in (wanting) DESIRING (wanting) | ||
| 7 | STANK |
Bottom of cavernous cistern smelt bad (5)
|
| [cavernou]S + TANK (cisterm) | ||
| 8 | CANINE |
Starts to cap abnormally square tooth (6)
|
| C{ap] + A[bnormally] + NINE (square, that is of 3) | ||
| 9 | HARASS |
Pester Head of History, a right idiot (6)
|
| H[istory] + A (a) + R (right) + ASS (idiot) | ||
| 14 | FISCAL DRAG |
Liberal radicals probing extremely frustrating stealth tax (6,4)
|
| Anagram (liberal) of RADICALS in (probling) F[rustratin]G. This is a new term to me. | ||
| 17 | NOCTURNAL |
Audibly disparaged one exiting male toilet, active at night (9)
|
| NOCT (homophone of “knocked” (disparaged)) + UR[i]NAL | ||
| 18 | TYROLEAN |
Austrian novice on slope (8)
|
| TYRO (novice) + LEAN (slope) | ||
| 20 | ASSAULT |
Attack lieutenant south of Caribbean capital, not north (7)
|
| [n[ASSAU (Caribbean capital, not north) + LT (lieutenant). Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas. | ||
| 21 | FIESTA |
Officers at law periodically left for holiday (6)
|
| [o]F[f]I[c]E[r]S[l]T[l]A | ||
| 22 | MUESLI |
Ascending part of intestine containing last of enormous breakfast (6)
|
| [enormou]S in (containing) ILEUM (part of intesttne) backwards (ascending) | ||
| 24 | MOTOR |
Second balls-up in career (5)
|
| MO (second) + ROT (balls) backwards (up) | ||
| 26 | ORCA |
Characters leading open rebellion, chasing abominable whale (4)
|
| O[pen] R[ebellion] C[hasing] A[bominable] |
Thanks Rosa and Pete
2dn is M (middle letter or focus of woman) + OUST (get rid of) + ACHE (long)
MOUSTACHE: M (focus of woman – middle letter) + OUST (get rid of) + ACHE (long)
Thank you both. I do not recall ever seeing ‘focus’ used in this manner. And I had to dig into my dictionaries to satisfy myself that it works.
Yes, I agree with the above parsings of MOUSTACHE.
No obscurities from Rosa this time but plenty to like as usual.
Favourites included TYROLEAN, GALLON, MERCIA and FINICKY.
Thanks to her and Pete.
Thanks Rosa, it’s always a treat seeing you as the setter. BLUEGRASS alone made this crossword worthwhile but there were many other great clues including BANANA SKIN, ORCHIDS, FINICKY, GALLON, MOUSTACHE, and DESPAIRING. Thanks Pete for the blog .
This one really hit the spot and I enjoyed it so much. I had so many ticks that I will not list them all. I will only call out AMBITION and FIESTA as two shining examples of their respective clue types
I did have a couple of quibbles, but they fade into insignificance compared to the joy this puzzle brought.
Thanks RK and PM
Bit of resonance in 4ac, in that cul can mean bum (i.e. arse).
I echo Martyn’s sentiment at #6, minus the two unspecified quibbles. Rosa never ceases to delight.
I also needed help with the parsing of 3d MOUSTACHE, so thanks PB and Tony @1&2.
And thanks R&P for the reliably pleasurable puzzle and blog.
As always lots of very clever misleading surfaces especially for LUDO, UTTERANCE
Also loved: IRRIGATE, FINICKY, TYROLEAN, NOCTURNAL
And I too could not parse MOUSTACHE
Thanks Rosa and Pete
PS, trivia re 21ac: I flew Lauda Air once from Sydney to London via Vienna. It was a long time ago and, if I remember correctly, it was OK
Liked ORCHIDS, FINICKY, MOUSTACHE, NOCTURNAL and ASSAULT.
DESPAIRING
There’s a minor error in the blog.
SPRING
Took it as a triple def.
Thanks Rosa and Pete
Thanks for the blog , many clever clues with deceptive definitions .
Like KVa@11 I took SPRING as a triple definition .
ORCA are really dolphins but dolphins have better PR . The clue is fine as dictionaries do not worry about sub-order or families .
UTTERance is normal UK usage – the crossword was an utter delight .
… and an unqualified success …
Rosa Klebb puts a lot of effort into meaningful surfaces in a way that appears effortless (in much the same way that the best special effects in films are ones that aren’t noticed). Always admire her puzzles for this. Had a chuckle over the GALLON clue.
Ha, Grant @7, I’m sure that Rosa found the ‘bum’ of 4a an irresistible descriptor! There’s always something a bit naughty in her puzzles which are, as Hovis says, seemingly effortless (agree on the subject of special effects too).
Diane @15, yeah I bet she’s a woman with a delightfully wicked laugh …
I totally agree with Tony @5, Martyn @6 and Hovis @14.
I too parsed 16ac as a triple definition: Collins gives ‘sprout: to begin to grow or develop: new office blocks are sprouting up all over the city‘
and my Collins (Twelfth Edition 2014) has the origin of ‘utter’ as Old English – as Roz says @12, common UK usage – utter rubbish, utter nonsense, etc.
I’d never heard of FISCAL DRAG, either – great clue, as were so many others. I had ten ticks but I’ll highlight BANANA SKIN and FINICKY, a favourite word of mine, along with ‘pernickety’.
Many thanks to Rosa for the fun, as ever and to Pete for the usual fine blog.
Utterly lovely xword.
I think 16ac makes a satisfactory triple definition taking “well” as a noun. It is, perhaps, a slight blemish that “well” could also be a verb with essentially the same meaning as “sprout”.
Just to echo all the praise for the excellence of the surfaces. I particularly liked the sad person singing country music.
As usual a very enjoyable crossword from ROSA KLEBB. No problems parsing except for the CHID in ORCHIDS, although I see now that it derives from To Chide. Thank you, ROSA!
The clue for “CUL-DE-SAC” is surely just about perfect, as well as being hilarious. Makes it almost impossible to use this phrase in a crossword ever again. And it’s not the only brilliance in this puzzle.
The surfaces alone was worth it. So smooth.
A tad surprised that anyone reading the FT has not heard of fiscal drag. Without wishing to insult anyone who has already researched this, it is the”art” of not raising tax allowances and bands with inflation, so that as earnings increase more people’s income enters a tax band or higher one, thus more tax is paid without actually raising the tax bands.