Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 1, 2026
My first-in was 6 (TOGA) and I quickly finished the top half. The bottom took me much more time and required my taking advantage of some tools. My favourite is 2/20/5d (SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | INSIPID |
Cool little drink Neo had in flat (7)
|
| IN (cool) + SIP (little drink) + ID (Neo had) | ||
| 5 | CATFLAP |
Way in which Queen’s used? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | PUMPS |
Little doggies eating minute shoes (5)
|
| M (minute) in PUPS (little doggies) | ||
| 10 | ALLIGATOR |
One taking snaps at redesigned gorilla cages (9)
|
| AT (at) in (cages) anagram (redesigned) of GORILLA | ||
| 11 | CHELMSFORD |
County town plants trees in church for duke (10)
|
| CH (church) + ELMS (trees) + FOR (for) + D (duke). Chelmsford is the county town of Essex | ||
| 12 | STAR |
Tango needs short dress worn and hot body (4)
|
| T (tango) in (worn) SAR[i] (short dress) | ||
| 14 | ASH WEDNESDAY |
Fast start when a Sheffield team hosts Hearts (3,9)
|
| AS (when) + H (hearts) + WEDNESDAY (Sheffield team) | ||
| 18 | THREE WISE MEN |
New items here confused 12 witnesses (5,4,3)
|
| Anagram (confused) of NEW ITEMS HERE with the definition referring to STAR (12) | ||
| 21 | APSE |
Small parrot’s caught in domed recess (4)
|
| S (small) in (caught in) APE (parrot) | ||
| 22 | FEATHER BOA |
Accessory put out before a hat (7,3)
|
| Anagram (put out) BEFORE A HAT | ||
| 25 | GREENLAND |
An Emerald Isle an Orangeman covets? (9)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 26 | ARIEL |
Bard’s spirit one in live opening in Lyceum (5)
|
| I (one) in (in) ARE (live) + L[yceum] | ||
| 27 | TROT OUT |
Fish sandwiches to produce without thought (4,3)
|
| TO (to) in (sandwiches) TROUT (fish) | ||
| 28 | ROE DEER |
Eggs with grass repelled forest creatures (3,4)
|
| ROE (eggs) + REED (grass) backwards (repelled) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | IMPACT |
Have effect on something little devil does (6)
|
| IMAP ACT (something little devil does) | ||
| 2/20/5d | SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE |
Poet in gloom led astray with literary cause (6,6,9)
|
| Anagram (led astray) of GLOOM LED LITERARY CAUSE | ||
| 3 | PASS MUSTER |
Spurs teams restructured meet standard (4,6)
|
| Anagram (restructured) of SPURS TEAMS | ||
| 4 | DWARF |
Grumpy following callow daughter round? (5)
|
| F (following) + RAW (callow) + D (daughter) all backwards (round) | ||
| 6 | TOGA |
Knight leaves Friendly Islands in robe (4)
|
| TO[n]GA (knight leaves Friendly Islands) | ||
| 7 | LATITUDE |
Chestnut not the first in room (8)
|
| [p]LATITUDE (chestnut, not the first) | ||
| 8 | PORTRAYS |
Describes beams to larboard? (8)
|
| PORT (larboard) + RAYS (beams) | ||
| 13 | DEGENERATE |
Miscreant rising Greek character renounced (10)
|
| ETA (Greek character) + RENEGED (renounced) all backwards (rising) | ||
| 15 | WHITEBAIT |
With a bite: queer fish (9)
|
| Anagram (queer) of WITH A BITE | ||
| 16 | STRAIGHT |
Way suitable for holding a hand (8)
|
| ST (way) + A (a) in (holding) RIGHT (suitable) | ||
| 17 | PROSPERO |
True love consumes society magician (8)
|
| S (society) in PROPER (true) + O (love) with the definition referring to Shakespeare’s The Tempest | ||
| 19 | OBLIGE |
Over fifty in substantial English force (6)
|
| O (over) + L (fifty) in (in) BIG (substantial) + E (English) | ||
| 23 | TUDOR |
Welsh house brings defeat about, seizing day (5)
|
| D (day) in (seizing) of ROUT (defeat) backwards (about) | ||
| 24 | UNCO |
Scot’s fearsome Charlie Spanish one jails (4)
|
| C (Charlie) in (jails) UNO (Spanish one) |
Thanks Neo and Pete
5ac: It took me a while to work out that the definition meant way in used by a queen (meaning a mature female cat).
I found this pretty approachable, with only the last three requiring time. I best liked GREENLAND, INSIPID, and DEGENERATE
PB mentioned difficulty in seeing cat. I saw cat, but I am afraid I still cannot understand how a CATFLAP is a way in which cat’s used. It is probably obvious.
Thanks Neo and Pete
Martin, it is not obvious and I clearly did not explain it well enough. You have to separate “in” from “which”. A catflap is an entrance which a cat can use.
And of course I meant Martyn with a Y.
Thanks PB@3. I see it now.
Unco meaning clumsy or sort of lurchy was a youth word here for a while. In 24d I’m guessing it’s short for uncommon, used as an intensifier, like fearsome or terribly …? Anyway, nice puzzle, thanks Neo and Pete.
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues , clever wordplay and some misleading definitions , I liked the Irish angle for GREENLAND and the impressive long anagram for STC .
Grant@6 , Chambers93 thinks it comes from UNCOuth .
In my youth in Australia an UNCO was someone not very good at sports – uncoordinated. NHO Queen as a mature cat, but my cat would definitely agree.
As Roz@7 says some lovely misleading definitions like for GREENLAND and CATFLAP
Really enjoyed this puzzle.
Thanks Neo and Pete
Thanks Neo and Pete,
I really liked the clue for GREENLAND, a good distraction with Orangeman, suggesting Northern Ireland and the adjacent Emerald Isle.
I thought however CATFLAP should be hyphenhated.
Liked CATFLAP, ASH WEDNESDAY, GREENLAND, S T COLERIDGE
and LATITUDE.
Thanks Neo and Pete.
Further to grant@6 and Bradley@8, “unco” meaning uncoordinated was in common use in my school in England in the 1970s, often in the phrase “unco mess”. But I would hope that crossword enthusiasts would be among the people least likely to assume that a word can only be allowed one meaning.
NEO is often a challenge for me, but I finished this one ok. NHO UNCO, but gettable from the clue. I liked STRAIGHT and GREENLAND. Thanks, Neo.