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)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 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