It’s been an eventful month. Here it Is in crossword form – find it to solve online at ft.com/crossword
Cracking fun puzzle as ever from Buccaneer with lots of sport and politics references as you’d expect. All fairly plain sailing except for 6d, which has me slightly foxed, but I’m sure one of you good people will soon put me right.
Thanks, Buccaneer!
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | NEUMANN |
German EU man nicely welcoming numbers whizz (7)
|
| Hidden in germaN EU MAN Nicely | ||
| 10 | THE WHIP |
What seven 24 MPs lost, or what 2 used controversially (3,4)
|
| Two definitions
Seven Labour MPs were suspended from the party (lost the whip) for voting for an SNP amendment to the king’s speech. Dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the GB Olympics team after a video emerged showing her excessively whipping her horse. |
||
| 11 | STARR |
Famous musician: ‘election winner’s ignoring me!’ (5)
|
| STAR[me]R (election winner) less (ignoring) ME
The musician being Ringo, the election winner being Sir Keir. |
||
| 12 | EXULT |
Rejoice in vote that’s brought in equality, regularly (5)
|
| X (vote) in alternate letters of EqUaLiTy | ||
| 13 | RUN |
What Vance will do with Trump, right by Manhattan-based organisation (3)
|
| R (right) + UN (Manhattan-based organisation)
The Donald announced JD Vance as his running mate for November’s US election. |
||
| 14 | SADISM |
Leads in Strictly are definitely into some misguided, cruel behaviour (6)
|
| First letters of (leads in) Strictly Are Definitely Into Some Misguided
Some of the pros in the dancing competition have been chastised for their treatment of the celeb contestants. |
||
| 15 | BAVARIAN |
German in a bar going crazy about five-one (8)
|
| Anagram (going crazy) of IN A BAR containing V I (Roman numerals for five and one)
|
||
| 17 | ULNAS |
Parts of arms heading for Ukraine — case of launchers filled by North American (5)
|
| First letter of (heading for) Ukraine + first and last letters (case) of LauncherS containing N (north) + A (America)
Sir Keir has given the go ahead for Ukraine to use UK supplied missiles against targets inside Russia. |
||
| 19 | POE |
Linesman, in games, catching ball (3)
|
| PE (games) containing O (ball)
Assume this is a reference to the Wimbledon tennis – sounds like something that could have happened there. |
||
| 20 | EASED |
Finished kicking out Conservative, relieved (5)
|
| [c]EASED (finished) kicking out C (Conservative)
You may or may not agree with the sentiment expressed in the clue. |
||
| 22 | HOME RULE |
Famous Greek Liberal blocks EU about self-government (4,4)
|
| HOMER (famous Greek) + L (Liberal) inserted in (blocks) EU reversed (about) | ||
| 24 | LABOUR |
People in power currently // struggle before delivery (6)
|
| Two definitions
Labour won the election this month. The delivery referred to in the second part is childbirth. |
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| 27 | SIR |
The PM, say: ‘time needs cutting in prison’ (3)
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| S[t]IR (prison) cutting T (time)
Keir Starmer, the PM, is a Sir. |
||
| 28 | NUDGE |
Jog naked around Greenland’s capital (5)
|
| NUDE (naked) around the first letter (capital) of Greenland
What an arresting image. As in, you’ll probably be arrested if you do this. |
||
| 29 | ANTI-G |
Kind of suit and giant pants (4-1)
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| Anagram (pants) of GIANT | ||
| 31 | CLACTON |
Reform-supporting constituency, extremely central part of London (7)
|
| First and last letters (extremely) of CentraL + ACTON (party of London)
Reform leader Farage was elected in the Essex constituency. |
||
| 32 | AGAINST |
Opposed to wins secured by vacuous activist (7)
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| GAINS (wins) inserted in (secured by) ActivisT with the middle letters removed (vacuous) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ONUS |
Responsibility and extra pay forsaken by British (4)
|
| [b]ONUS (extra pay) less (forsaken by) B (British) | ||
| 2 | DUJARDIN |
Olympian not going to Paris in oddly dour garden there (8)
|
| Odd letters of DoUr + JARDIN (French for garden)
Dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin, who isn’t going to the Paris Olympics – see 10 across. |
||
| 3 | HARRIS |
A pair of Republicans blocking that man’s party’s nominee (6)
|
| R R (a pair of Republicans) inserted in (blocking) HIS (that man’s)
Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the Democrat presidential candidate this month. |
||
| 4 | IN BED |
Confused Biden here after retiring? (2,3)
|
| Anagram (confused) of BIDEN
|
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| 5 | I T OUTAGE |
I am getting on, engaging solicitor for tech problem (1,1,6)
|
| I AGE (am getting on) containing (engaging) TOUT (solicitor)
A faulty update to Cloudstrike’s security software caused many major computer networks around the world to stop working for several days. |
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| 6 | HEATWAVE |
Be forced to drink lots of running water in such weather? (8)
|
Summer arrived in the UK this month in the form of a run of very hot days. |
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| 7 | CHARLI |
King dropping E’s with current Brat singer (6)
|
| CHARLES dropping E’S + I (current)
Charli XCX was named on the shortlist for the Mercury music prize this month. |
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| 8 | OPEN |
Golf tournament round area to keep animals (4)
|
| O (round) + PEN (area to keep animals)
The Open took place at Troon in Scotland last week. |
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| 14/30 | SOUTHGATE |
Man stepping down with wild shout, ending in scandal (9)
|
| Anagram (wild) of SHOUT + GATE (ending in scandal)
Gareth Southgate resigned as England football team manager this month. |
||
| 16 | NADIR |
Rishi gutted and thrashed — a real low point (5)
|
| Anagram (thrashed) RishI with middle letters removed (gutted) AND
Rishi’s Conservatives lost 244 seats in the election. |
||
| 18 | STRENGTH |
Target NHS reforms, wanting a powerful quality (8)
|
| Anagram (reforms) of TARGET NHS less (wanting) A | ||
| 19 | PALADINS |
Youth at the heart of incredible Spain — champions! (8)
|
| LAD in the middle of an anagram (incredible) of SPAIN
Spain beat England in the final of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. |
||
| 21 | SHOOTING |
Spill the beans about riot, shocking event in the US (8)
|
| SING (spill the beans) about HOOT (riot)
The assassination attempt on Trump at a Republican rally in Portland. |
||
| 23 | MURRAY |
Man retiring from field, leaving Scottish sporting scene (6)
|
| MURRAY[field] (Scottish sporting scene) less (leaving) FIELD
Tennis player Andy Murray is retiring after the Olympics. |
||
| 25 | AVATAR |
A ref’s assistant receiving cheers, an on-screen icon (6)
|
| A VAR (ref’s assistant) containing (receiving) TA (cheers) | ||
| 26 | RELAY |
Concerned with bet in Olympic event (5)
|
| RE (concerned with) + LAY (bet) | ||
| 27 | SICK |
Ailing shark’s skin contains one tiny bit of cocaine (4)
|
| First and last letters (skin) of Shark contains I (one) + C (tiny bit of Cocaine)
Edit: It was reported last week that Brazilian scientists have found traces of cocaine in sharks caught in fishermen’s nets off the coast of Rio. |
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| 30 |
See 14
|
|
6d is WATE[r]* in HAVE (be forced to)
Ah, yes – as ever, it seems obvious now you point it out. Thanks, Andrew.
I woke early this morning and, while trying to get back to sleep, remembered what day it was – so I got up!
Another stunning review of the month – an eventful one, as Widdersbel says. Some really super clues: I particularly admired the linking of 10ac and 2dn (excellent cluing in both cases – DUJARDIN especially) and the priceless BIDEN clue – so simple really but a little gem: too ephemeral for my little book of classic clues but I shall remember it, anyway.
Other ticks for 11ac STARR, 14ac SADISM, 22ac HOME RULE, 24ac LABOUR (shades of Philistines ‘end of term party’, which I quoted – again – quite recently here), 28ac NUDGE, 5dn IT OUTAGE, 18dn STRENGTH, 19dn PALADINS, 21dn SHOOTING, and 25dn AVATAR – and there could have been more.
Huge thanks, as ever, to Buccaneer and Widdersbel – a splendid team!
11a STARR – It was Ringo’s 84th birthday on the 7th, and this is his 3rd appearance in the month’s puzzles.
For. 19ac I had Edgar Alan Poe as the linesman.
Thanks to setter and blogger for their good work.
Allen Poe !
Slightly held myself up by entering BARGE instead of NUDGE at 28a using bare around G not nude, thinking that the Bibby Stockholm is going. Other than a delight.
I wondered if ONUS was linked to newspaper front pages predicting public sector wage rises. And NHS reforms were in the King’s Speech
Thank you to Buccaneer and Widdersbel.
A little bird has reminded me that there is a much more recent 5-1 result involving Germany.
Also, a story that passed me by but one that explains the peculiar image conjured up by the surface reading of 27d: sharks test positive for cocaine – even more terrifying than cocaine bear!
I did see the sharks testing positive for cocaine, which took me to another story from a year ago where the sharks were choosing to eat cocaine – that one off the coast of Florida.
Thanks for the updates, Widdersbel.
I must have blanked the Scottish defeat, on behalf of my dear late husband – although Rugby was his game – and I somehow totally missed the scary shark story, which makes the rather puzzling SICK yet another little gem.
Another fine topical puzzle by James.
Nice puzzle for the reasons above, though very parochial for a global paper. Our setters need to get out more.
So saying, kudos to Buccaneer for wording most of the UK-local clues so they were very gettable
Thanks Buccaneer and Widdersbel
Bit late to the game here. I thought this was a brilliant crossword.
There’s a minor error in the blog for 15a. It is an anagram of IN A BAR containing V + A (one).
ANTI-G reminds me of a book I read on anti-gravity – I couldn’t put it down 😀