Puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 5, 2026
I found this a mixed bag with some clues easily solved just by scanning the website for the FT’s Weekend Festival and a few more difficult ones. My favourites are 8 (MARY BEARD), 25 (WORDLE) and 26 (SWAN UP). MOTHER WIT at 15 is a new term to me.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SHOP TALK |
Endless optimism in Hunt’s business discussion (4,4)
|
| HOP[e] in (in) STALK (hunt) | ||
| 6 | REVAMP |
Minister first on list PM sent round in shake-up (6)
|
| REV (minister) + A (first on list) + MP (PM sent round) | ||
| 9 | PROUST |
Writer for the FT back from toilet… (6)
|
| PRO (for) + US (the FT) + [toile]T | ||
| 10 | NUGATORY |
…piddling with an arm around Michael Gove? (8)
|
| A GUN (an arm) backwards (around) TORY (Michael Gove) | ||
| 11 | PRESUPPOSE |
Assume winning attitude keeps president ahead (10)
|
| PRES (president) + UP (winning) + POSE (attitude) | ||
| 12 | RUBE |
Unsophisticated American back to front in taxi (4)
|
| RUBE (taxi with ‘R’ moved to the start) | ||
| 13 | FLIES |
One cuts a lot of meat for fishing bait (5)
|
| I (one) in (cuts) FLES[h] (a lot of meat) | ||
| 14 | DEMOCRAT |
For this US politician, pitch humour mostly to the left (8)
|
| COMED[y] (humour mostly) + TAR (pitch) reversed (to the left) | ||
| 17 | BOYHOODS |
Male youths repelled lout and thugs (8)
|
| YOB (lout) backwards (repelled) + HOODS (thugs) | ||
| 19 | TIRED |
Stale wine on trip in odd places (5)
|
| T[r]I[p] + RED (wine) | ||
| 20 | PASS |
Possible route for mountaineer secured by sherpa’s sweat (4)
|
| Hidden word (secured by) | ||
| 22 | WHERE ITS AT |
5 for the FT festival, the place to be? (5,3,2)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | SHERLOCK |
Eye buffet sandwiches that woman’s left (8)
|
| HER (that woman) + L (left) together in SOCK (buffet) with the definition referring, I assume, to a private eye. | ||
| 25 | WORDLE |
Fun with this game could be wonderful (6)
|
| WONDERFUL is an anagram of WORDLE + FUN. By the way, I do Wordle every day. | ||
| 26 | SWAN UP |
Blithely arrive weak through drink (4,2)
|
| WAN (weak) in (through) SUP (drink) | ||
| 27 | RETRONYM |
Name changed to suit new circumstances confused Terry — no, Mike (8)
|
| Anagram (confused) of TERRY NO M | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | HIRER |
Hôtel Ritz initially full of rage for customer paying by the hour? (5)
|
| IRE (rage) in H[otel] R[itz] | ||
| 3 | PAUL SMITH |
Is plum hat wrong for snappy dresser (a 5 13)? (4,5)
|
| Anagram (wrong) of IS PLUM HAT | ||
| 4 | ANTIPASTO |
Disliking history, love part of Italian course (9)
|
| ANTI (disliking) + PAST (history) + O (love) | ||
| 5 | KENWOOD |
King to stop holding court in London house (7)
|
| K (king) + WOO (court) in (holding) END (stop) with Kenwood House, London being the venue for the FT Weekend Festival | ||
| 6 | ROGUE |
Villain shot from behind in Parisian street (5)
|
| GO (shot) backwards (from behind) in (in) RUE (Parisian street) | ||
| 7 | VOTER |
Choosing resident doctor or vet? (5)
|
| Anagram (doctor) of OR VET | ||
| 8 | MARY BEARD |
Madonna and Shakespeare gone into by English academic (a 5 13) (4,5)
|
| MARY (madonna) + E (English) in (gone into by) BARD (Shakespeare) | ||
| 13 | FIONA SHAW |
Actor (a 5 13) neglected child climbing around on smoking waste (5,4)
|
| ON (on) + ASH (smoking waste) in (around) WAIF (neglected child) backwards (climbing). A great actress. | ||
| 15 | MOTHER WIT |
Techy university admitting additional women is common sense (6,3)
|
| OTHER (additional) + W (women) in (admitting) MIT (techy university) | ||
| 16 | CAR STEREO |
Unit possibly connected to 5 18s in Escort, ear splitting (3,6)
|
| Anagram (splitting) of ESCORT EAR | ||
| 18 | SPEAKER |
Ask peer specially for senior Parliamentary role (7)
|
| Anagram (specially) of ASK PEER | ||
| 21 | SIREN |
Seductress touching wrong trousers (5)
|
| RE (touching?) in (trousers) SIN (wrong) | ||
| 22 | WHOOP |
Any people that work sound really happy (5)
|
| WHO (any people that) + OP (work) | ||
| 23 | ALLAY |
Everybody agreed to calm down (5)
|
| ALL (everybody) + AY (agreed) |
Some clues point to 5,13. But I think they meant kenwood speaker. 5,18.
Thanks Guy and Pete
12ac: Worth mentioning that UBER is a type of taxi, at least in Britain.
24ac: Should we mention Sherlock Holmes by name as the private eye in question?
Jeremiah@1: Thanks. That makes sense.
I understand the need for a commemorative puzzle, but I am afraid this one had a few too many inside references and clunky surfaces, and did not do much for me.
I ticked PASS. On 12, Uber has pretty consistently denied being a taxi company.
Thanks Guy and Pete
I looked up the FT festival – looks like it would have been an interesting event – lots of good speakers.
Liked: MARY BEARD, FIONA SHAW (of course), ANTIPASTO, PRESUPPOSE, SWAN UP
Thanks Guy and Pete