Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 7, 2026
Link to puzzle: https://www.ft.com/content/5beb51eb-e18c-4b06-b490-1a897e349fb2
Degree of difficulty: Moderately-easy
A very fair test: just right for a Saturday when there might be some solvers who are too busy to try the weekday puzzles. What makes a cryptic fair? IMHO, it’s when clues that are easy to get from the definition require a little thinking to get the parsing, and when clues for obscure words or requiring specialized knowledge have straightforward wordplay.
And as a bonus, we get something of a Nina: look at the across rows at 1, 11, 22, and 26 and note how they fit together. Did Julius plan this?
| Across | ||
| 1a | KITCHEN | Where to find cook longing to punch toy boy? (7) |
| ITCH (“longing”) contained in (“to punch”) KEN (“toy boy”)
Ken as in Barbie’s plastic friend. |
||
| 6a | GARDEN | Grand broadcast featuring last appearance of Oddie (one of The Goodies) (6) |
| *GRAND (anagram indicated by “broadcast”) containing (“featuring”) oddiE (last letter indicated by “last appearance”)
I remembered the TV program “The Goodies” but had to look up the cast, which included Grame Garden. |
||
| 8a | EXPEDITED | Sent forth Eastern Times page readied for publication (9) |
| E (“eastern”) + X (“times”) + P (“page”) + EDITED (“readied for publication”)
Thanks to Pelham Barton @3 for catching the omission in the original parsing. |
||
| 9a | GHOST | Good old army spirit (5) |
| G (“good”) + HOST (“old army”)
There may be some quibbles about this clue, but I think it’s fair. “Old” can mean that it’s a word no longer in common use. |
||
| 11a | THREE | Mobile network regularly cutting out to her mobile network (5) |
| (To HeR) (alternate letters indicated by “regularly cutting out”) + EE (“mobile network”)
Three and EE are both brand names of UK mobile telecom providers. |
||
| 12a | CARD TRICK | Case of Dubonnet appearing on board Manchester coach? That’s magic! (4,5) |
| DubonneT (first and last letters indicated by “case of”) contained in (“appearing on board”) Carrick (“Manchester coach”)
Were the editors ready to add “ex-” before “Manchester coach?” |
||
| 13a | ENDURING | English university band touring New Zealand exhausted, suffering (8) |
| E (“English”) + U (“university) + RING (“band”) containing (“touring”) New zealanD (first and last letters indicated by “exhausted”) | ||
| 15a | DOMAIN | Commit matricide in family estate (6) |
| § DO MA IN (“commit matricide”)
Hot and Trazom (setters for The Nation) coined the term “heteronym” for words with the same letters but different pronunciation. |
||
| 17a | HI-HATS | Popular records featuring intros from harp and cymbals (2-4) |
| HITS (“popular records”) containing (“featuring”) HArp (first two letters indicated by “intros”)
A hi-hat is the pair of cymbals in a drum kit that sits parallel to the floor and is operated by a pedal. |
||
| 19a | RUNS INTO | Casually meets on Turin’s ground (4,4) |
| *ON TURINS (anagram indicated by “changed”)
Thanks to Pelham Barton @3 for catching the omission in the original parsing. |
||
| 22a | NEWCASTLE | Magpies settle comfortably outside loo close to Asda (9) |
| NESTLE (“settle comfortably”) containing WC (“loo”) + asdA (last letter indicated by “close”)
The football club is so nicknamed because of their black and white shirts. I had a special reason to appreciate this clue since I wore my black and white sweater for the final time last Saturday, ending a 38-year career. Retirement games are a big deal for hockey referees. |
||
| 23a | BROWN | Former PM Baldwin drained, bored by argument (5) |
| BaldwiN (first and last letters indicated by “drained”) containing (“bored by”) ROW (“argument”) | ||
| 24a | EGYPT | Where mummy might be found in a grave state? (5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25a | TABLE LAMP | Source of light on board that isn’t standard? (5,4) |
| Cryptic definition: “isn’t standard” meaning there isn’t a pole associated with this lamp like there would be with a floor lamp or torchiere. | ||
| 26a | GOLDEN | Valuable info about common infections uncovered (6) |
| GEN (“info”) containing (“about”) cOLDs (“common infections,” first and last letters indicated by “uncovered”) | ||
| 27a | EARRING | Making some cash, Romeo pops in for new item of jewellery (7) |
| EAR/N/ING (“making some cash,” replacement of N “new” with R “Romeo” indicated by “pops in”)
Clever clue with a pretty surface. |
||
| Down | ||
| 1d | KEEP THE CHANGE |
Here’s a tip: stick with your revised version (4,3,6) |
| 2d | TAPERED | Came to point at ape redecorating boxes (7) |
| aT APE REDecorating (“common infections,” hidden word indicated by “boxes”) | ||
| 3d | HEDGE | He would, for example, set up a risk-reduction strategy (5) |
| HE’D (“he would”) + <EG< (“for example,” reversal indicated by “set up”) | ||
| 4d | NOTICING | Catching sight of freshly-mixed gin & tonic? (8) |
| *GIN + TONIC (anagram indicated by “freshly-mixed”)
I like this clue as much as I like a jigger of Bluecoat with ice and a slice (and a few juniper berries popped in the glass. |
||
| 5d | GODARD | Breathless director knocking over a dog on road (6) |
| <A DOG< (reversal indicated by “knocking over”) + RD (“road”)
Jean-Luc Godard’s film “Breathless” was released in 1960. |
||
| 6d | RIGHTEOUS | Just gets 1 hour off (9) |
| *GETS + I (“one”) + HOUR (anagram indicated by “off”)
Another great clue. Got it from the crossers and then figured out the twist in the clue. |
||
| 7d | EROTICA | Beethoven’s 4th, Beethoven’s 3rd covers stimulating works! (7) |
| EROICA (“Beethoven’s 3rd”) containing (“covers”) beeThoven (fourth letter indicated by “4th”) | ||
| 10d | TAKE DOWN A PEG |
Humiliated, recorded in writing, dad gets upset — extremely embarrassing (5,4,1,3) |
| TAKEN DOWN (“recorded in writing”) + <AP< (“dad,” reversal indicated by “gets upset”) + EmbarrassinG (first and last letters indicated by “extremely”) | ||
| 14d | RETRACTED | Detective Sergeant in The Sweeney sent north, withdrawn (9) |
| <DET CARTER< (Detective Sergeant in The Sweeney,” reversal indicated by “sent north”)
Never heard of that TV series, but another fair clue. |
||
| 16d | QUEEN BEE | She’ll despatch drones (5,3) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 18d | HOWDY-DO | Greeting husband, old and terribly dowdy (5-2) |
| H (“husband”) + O (“old”) + *DOWDY (anagram indicated by “terribly”) | ||
| 20d | NEO-NAZI | Something in Piccadilly Circus Tube disturbed Zia, a right winger (3-4) |
| NEON (“Something in Piccadilly Circus Tube”) + *ZIA (anagram indicated by “disturbed”) | ||
| 21d | STATIN | Drug Mark Twain initially injected (6) |
| STAIN (“Mark”) containing Twain (first letter indicated by “initially”) | ||
| 23d | BLEAR | Dim British king associated with tragedy (5) |
| B (“British”) + LEAR (“king associated with tragedy”) |
Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “/” letters exchanged, “¶” letter bank.
Let me thank the 15^2 administrators for giving me the chance to blog on a regular basis and also thank Pete Maclean for blogging the Saturday FT week in and week out. It takes a lot to carry Pete’s pencil, so we’ll have a rotation of bloggers holding down the Saturday FT gig.
Good puzzle with mix of clues from straightforward to very tricky I thought.
Favourites: GHOST, NEWCASTLE, TAKEN DOWN A PEG, RETRACTED, CARD TRICK
Thanks Julius (one of my favourite setters) and Braze
Thanks Julius and Braze. I am sure that the paired answers in the rows are deliberate: Julius has done that sort of thing before.
Minor points with the parsing. The P in 8ac comes from “page” in the clue, and the anagram at 19ac includes the S from “Turin’s”.
To my shame, I failed to spot STATIN at 21dn from just one checked letter, despite having taken my daily statin just before starting the crossword.
Well done Julius and Braze,
I found this quite chewy, not moderately easy IMHO. A second visit after a break helped. I liked the 14D Det. Carter reversal especially.
I think 1dn is a two-part clue. “Here’s a tip” relates to one meaning of KEEP THE CHANGE, and the rest of the clue to a different meaning.
Super entertainment from Julius with my LOI, DO-MA-IN, being by favourite. Loved the ‘toyboy’ who needs punching (1a), the Premiership references (12, 22) and the pairings across the grid (especially 22 again). As Pelham Barton has pointed out, I’m sure these pairings were intended.
Thanks to Julius and Braze.
A warm welcome to the Weekend FT Braze and thanks for a great blog.
I also found parts of this chewy, to quote KenF@4, and a bit of a curate’s egg.
There were some wonderful clues including GARDEN, NOTICING (I will look at G&Ts differently in future), BROWN and DOMAIN (like Diane@6 I thought it an absolute cracker). Put me down as also liking the parings across the grid. But then there were several uncharacteristic, wordy clues and a list of parochial NHOs (sorry Diane, the premiership references are included).
Thanks also to Julius
Thanks for the catching the omissions, Pelham Barton@3, and you’re correct (@5) that 1d is more of a dd than a cd. Got those answers straightaway but didn’t parse them correctly.
Come to Philadelphia and I’ll buy you a Bluecoat martini or even show you the distillery. (I was on the tasting panel that helped create Bluecoat twenty years ago.) Good example of a contemporary American gin: a layer of citrus on top of the juniper, and deadly smooth. Don’t know if it’s available in the UK, but I found it in Rome. (at The Gin Corner–go there if you’re in Rome!)
Braze@8 – I lived in Philadelphia briefly and years ago as an exchange student. I am also very keen on martinis and will look for your gin where I live. I am impressed you were on the tasting panel!
I@7 also meant to mention EROTICA as a favourite.
Thanks Julius for an excellent Saturday crossword. I needed a word finder for the clever DOMAIN but otherwise I found this mostly straightforward with my favourites being HI-HATS, GOLDEN, NOTICING (great anagram), RIGHTEOUS (another great anagram), STATIN, and BLEAR. I thought the word ‘old’ in GHOST was unnecessary but not a major impediment to solving. Thanks Braze for the blog.
Thanks for the blog and welcome, dear Braze, and thanks to those who have left a comment. Regarding CARD TRICK and your comment, I did get an email from Roger last week suggesting it might be time to get this in the paper sharpish!
Best wishes to all, Rob/Julius
Quite an array of gk, with a Goodie, a brand name, a PL manager, a drum kit part, a team’s colours and nickname, a movie director, a cop show character, a Beethoven Symphony and a bit of Shakespeare. Phew! All part of the fun though, thx Julius and welcome Braze.
Thank you Braze for explaining (Graeme) GARDEN which I totally failed to parse, and thank you Julius for another great puzzle – I especially enjoyed the first half of the DD in 1down (Here’s a tip), the clever networking in 11a THREE, the smart construction of 27a EARRING, and the four double across-whammies.
Now that there’s no new Knuts on the Independent page the Julius puzzles on the FT are doubly precious.
Loved this, great puzzle thanks Julius and Blaze. Enjoyed the culture references but as you rightly say the clues were gettable even if like me and anyone else born this century you’ve never seen The Sweeney.
Welcome Braze, you are an excellent addition to the bloggers team. If I wanted to diss you – and of course I don’t – I would call you an officious gin-swilling Philadelphian, but (a) you have retired from refereeing, (b) I’m sure you don’t swill your Bluecoat, and (c) Philadelphia is the home of McCoy Tyner and Christian McBride, so it is truly a city of note.
I thought this was an excellent puzzle, and I agree with Braze’s assessment (except for the easy part). Among many ticks, my favourites were the witty 15a DOMAIN and the classic 7d EROTICA.
Re that 7d clue, I found hidden depth to it. For my money, one of the most erotic pieces of classical music is the last (climactic) movement of Beethoven’s 7th symphony, and the clue gets you there from the 4 plus 3 mentions.
Thanks Julius and Braze for the engaging puzzle and blog.
Braze @8: Welcome to 15-squared. Having been raised in nearby NJ, I’m very familiar with Philadelphia. I trust that you’re a different sort than Philly sports’ fans, the most obnoxious in the US 😆
Cello @15, maybe Beecham’s yaks were in heat by the fourth … 🙂
Like many, hugely enjoyed this for its inventiveness rather than its (relative lack of) difficulty. GARDEN was my absolute favourites having been a Goodies fan as a boy many years ago!
Thank you for the warm welcome, Julius and everyone.
Cello@15 has good taste. A lot of other great jazz musicians called Philadelphia home, including Grover Washington and Sun Ra, plus the Brecker brothers (Elkins Park) and Jaco Pastorius (Norristown). And of course we have the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra, the strings from whom were the secret ingredient in the great Gamble & Huff R&B/soul/funk records of the 70s and early 80s.
And I may now be retired from hockey, but still refereeing NCAA and national-level fencing. I didn’t have enough slashing and spearing in my life.
Thanks again, everyone, and see you in six weeks.
Thanks for the blog , busy Monday so a day late . Usual quality from Julius , like Diane@6 I liked the toyboy in KITCHEN but many more fine clues . GHOST is good setting , host=army is listed as archaic in Chambers93 . Bill Oddie was my favourite Goodie as a 70s child , I wonder how the humour stands up these days ?
Fencing must be very competitive in the US to need a referee although dry stone walling competitions in the UK can lead to disputes .
Me too. didn’t get to this till Monday when I spent too much time trying to put in V, F and J Prompted by early answers having Z, Q and Y.
Actually managed to finish this one after looking up the sergeant in The Sweeney. How you managed to get so many UK cultural references from a Philly perspective is impressive. I was there as a Fulbright exchange teacher (Sister Sledge’s high school) and saw Sun Ra, Sarah Vaughan, Moses Malone, Dr. J. A special city!