Buccaneer rounds up some newsworthy events of 2023 in crossword form. Find it to solve online or download and print on the FT website or via their smartphone app.
So, this is why the December News puzzle came out a week early. Buccaneer has done a great job here, packing topical references into pretty much every clue, either in the surface or the solution – or both – all put together with his customary wit.
Thanks, Buccaneer!
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | NOW AND THEN |
Engineer went on, with hand in new Beatles single (3,3,4)
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| Anagram (engineer) of WENT ON + HAND
Put together with the help of AI tech from old recordings, the song became the band’s first number one for 54 years. |
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| 9 |
See 20
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| 11 | WONGA |
Struggling on reduced wage, what strikers demand (5)
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| Anagram (struggling) of ON + WAG[e]
A pithy comment on the ongoing industrial disputes for junior doctors and rail workers, among others. |
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| 12 | INFLATION |
Cost of living issue, dull one during home working (9)
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| FLAT (dull) + I (one) inserted in (during) IN (home) + ON (working)
Inflation in the UK has been over 10% for much of this year. |
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| 13 | CHATGPT |
AI star from Switzerland: a dry, entertaining doctor (7)
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| CH (Switzerland) + A + TT (dry) containing (entertaining) GP (doctor)
If you want a good laugh, ask ChatGPT to write a cryptic crossword clue for you. Let’s just say the AI isn’t quite up to putting the likes of Buccaneer out of a job yet. |
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| 14 | BRITNEY |
Memoirist’s desire to return music award at first (7)
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| BRIT (music award) + YEN (desire) reversed (to return)
Singer Britney Spears published The Woman In Me in October this year. |
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| 16 | VOWED |
Swore what Simone Biles did this year after vino on vacation (5)
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| V[in]O + WED (what Simone Biles did this year)
The gymnast married NFL star Jonathan Owens in April. |
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| 18 | YES |
Viewers initially ignored Humza Yousaf’s referendum choice (3)
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| [e]YES (viewers) less the first letter (initially denied)
Scotland’s first minister called for a new independence referendum this year. |
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| 20/9 | PARTYGATE |
Head defending pretentious government, an embarrassment for BoJo (9)
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| PATE (head) containing (defending) ARTY (pretentious) + G (government)
The ex-PM became an ex-MP following publication of the findings from the inquiry into parties in Downing Street during lockdown. |
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| 21 | DARLING |
Ex-Chancellor audacious when protecting pound (7)
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| DARING (audacious) containing (protecting) L (pound)
Labour MP and Chancellor Alastair Darling died this year aged 70. |
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| 24 | AROUSES |
Stirs up American legislatures with leader ousted by Republican (7)
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| A (American) + [h]OUSES (legislatures) with the first letter replaced (leader ousted) by R (Republican)
Much turmoil in the US Congress this year with Republican Kevin McCarthy unable to hold down the post of Speaker due to disagreements within his own party. |
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| 26 | MARY EARPS |
Woman who saved 2023, say, after king blocks plans (4,5)
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| R (king) + YEAR (2023, say) inserted in (blocks) MAPS (plans)
England goalkeeper Mary Earps was one of the stars of the Fifa Women’s World Cup this year. |
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| 27 | PINED |
Keeping cool, Prince Edward felt great longing (5)
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| P (prince) + ED (Edward) containing (keeping) IN (cool)
Edward became Duke of Edinburgh this year, replacing his late father. |
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| 29 | NOMA |
Not an old lady in restaurant set to close (where Carmy Berzatto worked) (4)
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| NO (not an) + MA (old lady)
Carmy Berzatto is the fictional chef in the TV series The Bear, who supposedly once worked at the world-famous Noma in Copenhagen, which chef Rene Redzepi has said will close as a restaurant at the end of 2024 and become a test kitchen. |
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| 30 | ELLIE LEACH |
Partner of Vito Corleone gutted and ill with ale he’s drunk (5,5)
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| Anagram (drunk) of C[orleon]E + ILL + ALE HE
The Coronation Street star partnered professional dancer Vito Coppola in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SNOW |
Leaders in Sheffield nabbing O’Mara with cocaine (4)
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| First letters of (leaders in) Sheffield Nabbing O‘mara With
Former Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O’Mara was jailed this year after being convicted of fraud, having supposedly falsified expenses claims to fund his cocaine habit. |
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| 2 | RWANDA |
Right answer about staff issue dividing Tories (6)
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| R (right) + A (answer) about WAND (staff)
The ongoing saga of government attempts to pass legistlation allowing them to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. |
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| 3 | ENLARGED |
Blew up rogue general heading for Donbas (8)
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| Anagram (rogue) of GENERAL + D[onbas]
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian paramilitary Wagner group, died when his plane exploded in not-very-mysterious circumstances in August. |
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| 4 | STRICTLY |
Show where 30 triumphed exactly (8)
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| Double definition
Spoiler alert! |
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| 5 | KEY FOB |
Electronic security gizmo crucial, mostly, for Britain (3,3)
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| KEY (crucial) + FO[r] + B (Britain) | ||
| 6 | MALIGNER |
Person defaming failing German heads of light industry (8)
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| Anagram of GERMAN + Light Industry | ||
| 7 | TEEN |
For example, Millie Bobby Brown’s place for driving north (4)
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| TEE (place for driving) + N (north)
The 19-year-old actor, who came to fame as Eleven in the TV series Stranger Things, released her debut novel, Nineteen Steps, this year. |
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| 10 | TAXI |
What Jeremy Hunt controls on current transport (4)
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| TAX (what Jeremy Hunt controls) + I (current) | ||
| 13 | COVID |
In business papers, see former emergency (5)
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| CO (business) + ID (papers) containing V (see)
Covid was officially downgraded from pandemic status by the WHO this year. |
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| 15 | YOYOS |
Said why, periodically, Tory rating fluctuates (5)
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| Y (said “why”) + tOrY + OS (rating = Ordinary Seaman) | ||
| 17 | WAR CRIME |
Flying aircrew catching mass problem in conflict zone (3,5)
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| Anagram (flying) of AIRCREW + M (mass)
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes. |
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| 19 | STARSHIP |
Musk’s engineering project has celebs with it (8)
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| STARS (celebs) + HIP (with it)
Starship is the name of the SpaceX rocket that had two successful launches this year, each launch closely followed by a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”. |
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| 20 | PROMPTLY |
Extremists in protest lobby following event disrupted by Just Stop Oil soon (8)
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| PROM (event disrupted by Just Stop Oil) + first and last letters (extremists) of ProtesT LobbY
The environmental protesters disrupted the first night of the BBC Proms concerts. |
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| 22 | ITEM |
The setter’s screening revolutionary film for Zendaya and Tom Holland, say (4)
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| I’M (the setter’s) containing (screening) ET (film) reversed (revolutionary)
The Hollywood stars apparently met while working on the Spider-Man films together. |
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| 23 | GARBLE |
Misrepresent Greece’s number one over marbles, losing case (6)
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| First letter (number one) of Greece + [m]ARBLE[s]
PM Rishi Sunak caused a diplomatic row after accusing his Greek counterpart Kyrios Mitsotakis of grandstanding in the ongoing dispute over ownership of the Parthenon marbles. |
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| 25 | SINEAD |
Deceased Irish singer Shane: ‘I’d cut heroin out’ (6)
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| Anagram (out) of SHANE I’D less H (heroin, cut)
Irish singers Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan died this year, aged 56 and 65 respectively. |
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| 26 | MONE |
Day on drug for peer accused of misdeeds (4)
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| MON (day) + E (drug)
Michelle Mone, Tory baroness, accused of unfairly procuring contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds for her husband’s company during the covid pandemic. |
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| 28 | DAHL |
Expurgated writer was forced to withdraw line (4)
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| HAD (was forced) reversed (to withdraw) + L (line)
Roald Dahl’s books were reissued by the publisher Penguin this year after being bowdlerised by “sensitivity readers” to redact some of the author’s outdated views. |
Thanks Buccaneer and Widders,
Definitely on the easier side for Buccaneer but no less enjoyable for that.
Rather pleased that I got nearly all the references too. Only my unfamiliarity with SCD dancers and celebs letting me down for 30A and 22D. Still managed to solve them both from WP and crossers which was very gratifying.
Hope to see Buccaneer being as prolific in 2024 as he has been his year!
Exemplary blog as usual too from Widders. Glad your device problems have been resolved.
As Blah says, the puzzle was somewhat on the easier side, quite enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks, Buccaneer!
The Sunday special puzzles and Widdersbel blogs are paired perfectly. Once again a well-written, highly informative, neat blog. Thanks Widdersbel!
TAXI
Does the surface say something about taxes on EV’s (current transport)?
KEY FOB
UK car thefts hit an all-time high with keyless car tech to blame—May not be the news the surface alludes to.
I liked the woman who saved, and would echo the praise for the blog.
I came late to this puzzle today, by surprise – and it was a lovely surprise!
Another tour de force by Buccaneer – I’m in total awe of the setting process here: such up-to-date stuff but yet covering the year so comprehensively, in so many clues and answers.
I’m in total agreement with KVa re the partnership – I’m so glad you didn’t after all, miss out on December, Widdersbel, after such sterling work throughout the year.
I’m not sure what happened there: my comment froze in the middle and then I found it had been posted.
Super clues, as ever – full of admiration for cluing CHATGPT (fairly new to me as a thing but I got it from the wordplay, which is always satisfying). Other favourites were 30dn for the lift and separate, when combined with 4dn for topicality and the brilliant WAR CRIME , PROMPTLY and SINEAD.
Huge thanks and respect to Buccaneer and bravissimo Widdersbel.
Happy New Year to all!
Good thing it was easy. I started this with the expectation that even I would have heard of the people & events referenced in an annual puzzle. I was soon disabused of that notion, and it turned out I did not know enough about the ones I had heard of (Tom Holland and Zendaya, for example). Oh well, at least I can add to my file of British names and sayings
But, I did enjoy getting to an unknown answer using the cryptic clue and I did find many of the answers funny once I had worked them out and looked the person / event up. And I was thankful to Buccaneer for having mercy on the likes of me by making the puzzle approachable, and for not taking it too seriously.
And a nice blog too
Sorry, but there is one clue I am not sure I understood – WONGA. Does this refer to the payday loan company, or have I missed the mark?
Thanks Buccaneer and Widders
PS I took Widdersbel’s suggestion and asked ChatGPT to create a couple of cryptic crossword clues. It returned not only a clue, but an explanation of how each clue works. Impressive stuff if you overlook the fact that they made no sense whatsoever
Martyn @7
Did you catch this one?
https://www.fifteensquared.net/2023/09/16/guardian-saturday-prize-crossword-29171-by-philistine-9-september-2023/
Martyn @ 7 Wonga is the name of the payday loan company, but (I assume) it took its name from ‘wonga’ as UK slang for money (or salary) in general.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Widdersbel
Wonga = money. I learn more and more every day. Many thanks Simon S @9.
And thanks Eileen @8. I did not see that blog originally, but enjoyed it this time around
These News puzzles are hard for me, since a lot of the UK news does not get much play over here, but the clues were clear enough that I could guess/google the topical references. This time I got all except WONGA, a slang term I have never encountered before, although the clue is straightforward enough.
Solving in Philadelphia, I had the same experience as Cineraria. These topical numbers have gotten smoother since their debut. Thanks to Buccaneer and the editors for good cluing and to Widdersbel for parsing the ones I couldn’t .