Puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 10, 2026
Another excellent puzzle from Rosa. There were two words I did not know, 7 EDUCE and 18 MYRMIDON, plus one that I did not know the exact meaning of, 20 PALADIN. My favorites are 1a ON SPEC, 28 DREAMLAND, 6 WATERTIGHT, 7 EDUCE and 17 NORTH-EAST.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ON SPEC |
Ponces about in the hope of achieving something (2,4)
|
| Anagram (about) of PONCES | ||
| 4 | SLOWNESS |
What’s behind this depression and lethargy? (8)
|
| [what]S + LOWNESS (depression) | ||
| 10 | DENIGRATE |
Disparage and haunt nameless, thankless individual (9)
|
| DEN (haunt) + I[n]GRATE (nameless thankless individual) | ||
| 11 | TOUGH |
Skin of tomato that’s disgusting and chewy (5)
|
| T[omat]O + UGH (that’s disgusting) | ||
| 12 | ALAS |
Picked up a girl, regrettably (4)
|
| Homopone (picked up) of “a lass” | ||
| 13 | FATHERLESS |
She falters, travelling without a parent (10)
|
| Anagram (travelling) of SHE FALTERS | ||
| 15 | CHICORY |
Leaves elegant old rectory empty (7)
|
| CHIC (elegant) + O (old) + R[ector]Y | ||
| 16 | SOIGNE |
Spot ingenue, intermittently well-groomed (6)
|
| S[p]O[t]I[n]G[u]E | ||
| 19 | GOSSIP |
Idle talk starts to scare some in Republican Party circles (6)
|
| S[care] S[ome] I[n] in (circles) GOP (Republican Party) | ||
| 21 | ASHTRAY |
Last of rubbish put in wrong receptacle (7)
|
| [rubbis]H in (put in) ASTRAY (wrong) | ||
| 23 | HYDRAULICS |
Such a drily complex applied science (10)
|
| Anagram (complex) of SUCH A DRILY | ||
| 25 | SHAM |
Mock Lewis Hamilton to some extent (4)
|
| Hidden word (to some extent) | ||
| 27 | DROLL |
Comical Liberal peer retires (5)
|
| L (Liberal) + LORD (peer) all backwards (retires) | ||
| 28 | DREAMLAND |
Come down after drug- spiked drink in state of unreality (9)
|
| E (drug) in (spiked) DRAM (drink) + LAND (come down) | ||
| 29 | SWEEPING |
General finally collapses in tears (8)
|
| [collapse]S + WEEPING (in tears) | ||
| 30 | SOFTEN |
Spades frequently lose hardness (6)
|
| S (spades) + OFTEN (frequently) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ORDNANCE |
Regulation excluding current weapons (8)
|
| ORD[i]NANCE (regulation excuding ‘I’ for current) | ||
| 2 | SAN MARINO |
Organised ransom in a mountainous microstate (3,6)
|
| Anagram (organised) of RANSOM IN A | ||
| 3 | ERGO |
Forgeries periodically circulating thus (4)
|
| Reverse (circulating) hidden word (periodicaly) | ||
| 5 | LEECHES |
Worms in drains, reportedly (7)
|
| Homophone (reportedly) of LEACHES (drains) | ||
| 6 | WATERTIGHT |
Wet, drunk, and completely impervious (10)
|
| WATER (wet) + TIGHT (drunk) | ||
| 7 | EDUCE |
Arouse Don Juan, naked (5)
|
| [s]EDUCE[r] (Don Juan naked). ‘Educe means to evolve or draw out. | ||
| 8 | SCHISM |
Is initially misbehaving following school break (6)
|
| SCH (school) + IS (is) + M[isbehaving] | ||
| 9 | GALAXY |
Festival axes many stars (6)
|
| GALA (festival) + XY (axes, as in geometry) | ||
| 14 | CODSWALLOP |
Claptrap from guys on strike (10)
|
| CODS (guys, in northern England) + WALLOP (strike) | ||
| 17 | NORTH-EAST |
Earth’s not changing direction (5-4)
|
| Anagram (changing) of EARTHS NOT | ||
| 18 | MYRMIDON |
Henchman in fancy room with international mafia boss (8)
|
| MY (fancy, as an interjection) + RM (room) + I (international) + DON (mafia boss) | ||
| 20 | PALADIN |
Knight in China, leader of audacious racket (7)
|
| PAL (china) + A[udacious] + DIN (racket) | ||
| 21 | ARCHER |
Monarch introduced by roguish person with a bow (6)
|
| ARCH (roguish) in (introduced) + ER (monarch) | ||
| 22 | CHIDES |
Extremely charmless hosts cover carpets (6)
|
| HIDE (cover) in (hosts) C[harmles]S | ||
| 24 | DRONE |
Doctor and setter talk monotonously (5)
|
| DR (doctor) + ONE (setter) | ||
| 26 | AMMO |
Unlimited money for bullets? (4)
|
| [m]AMMO[n] (unlimited money) |
A fine crossword from Rosa Klebb with the great surfaces we’ve come to expect.
Favourites included EDUCE, SHAM, GALAXY and SOIGNE (such a lovely word).
Thanks to Rosa and Pete.
A minor point – 20d has the wordplay rather than the definition underlined.
I agree. I love good surfaces and so I enjoyed this puzzle a lot. I ticked so many clues, including ERGO (wonderful observation), DROLL, SWEEPING, MYRMIDON, DREAMLAND, NORTH EAST, and SLOWNESS
Guy = COD was the new term for me.
Thanks RK and PM
Enjoyable but I don’t see how EDUCE = AROUSE or ONE = SETTER. Thanks Rosa and Pete.
SLOWNESS
Is it
“what’s behind (of) this=S”?
Lovely puzzle
Favourites included: MYRMIDON, CHIDES, DROLL, CHICORY, PALADIN, GALAXY
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete