The regular monthly topical crossword. Find it to download and print at ft.com/crossword
At the time of writing, the puzzle was alas not available to solve online or via the FT app, which made writing the blog a bit more of a chore than usual. But it was well worth the effort as this was great fun. Leonidas has managed to cram a very impressive number of topical references into the solutions and clues, with plenty of his customary witty and clever wordplay along the way.
Thanks, Leonidas!
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | CEASEFIRE |
End of fighting in unusually fierce sea (9)
|
| Anagram (unusually) of FIERCE SEA
Israel and Hamas this month agreed to a ceasefire in their long-running conflict in Gaza |
||
| 8 | BLAIR |
One meddling in the Middle East from British retreat (5)
|
| B (British) + LAIR (retreat)
Former PM Tony Blair has been getting involved in post-war plans for Gaza |
||
| 9 | SPOUSES |
Mark briefly exploits Posh & Becks perhaps (7)
|
| SPO[t] (mark) with last letter removed (briefly) + USES (exploits)
Not sure if there’s any significance to the choice of Posh and Becks as an example – have they been in the news recently? Passed me by if so |
||
| 10 | LAWSUIT |
Spooner’s witnessed Rob in action against Bolton? (7)
|
| “SAW LOOT” (witnessed rob) spoonerised
Former Trump adviser John Bolton is in court on charges of mishandling classified information |
||
| 11 | EVEREST |
Hazardous mountain break First Lady faces (7)
|
| REST (break) which EVE (first lady) precedes (faces)
Hundreds of climbers recently had to be rescued after becoming trapped on Mt Everest in a blizzard |
||
| 14 | SATIRES |
Star periodically flags Kimmel’s material? (7)
|
| Alternate letters (periodically) of StAr + TIRES (flags)
Jimmy Kimmel’s show on ABC was suspended briefly following his routine about Charlie Kirk |
||
| 16 | HAS |
Harsh adjudication Sarkozy primarily accepts (3)
|
| First letters (primarily) of Harsh Adjudication Sarkozy
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy this week started a spell in prison for corruption. Because presidents are not above the law in France |
||
| 17 | GOODALL |
Everybody lead by kind chimp lover (7)
|
| ALL (everybody) led by GOOD (kind)
Primatologist Jane Goodall died this month aged 91 |
||
| 19 | GAS |
Fuel for Chevvies back in Osage (3)
|
| Hidden and reversed (back) in oSAGe
Not aware of any topical relevance here but the Osage Nation’s reservation in Oklahoma was extensively drilled for oil from the 1920s, which was the subject of the 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon |
||
| 20 | ACCORDS |
State overturned Trump’s pants agreements (7)
|
| CA (California = state) reversed (overturned) + CORDS (trousers = Trump’s pants) | ||
| 23 | KUSHNER |
Rush Ken around for Board of Peace envoy (7)
|
| Anagram (around) of RUSH KEN
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was among the US team in Israel for recent peace talks |
||
| 25 | ISOLATE |
Separate island only visited by Keaton essentially (7)
|
| I (island) + SOLE (only) containing (visited by) the middle letters (essentially) of keATon
Hollywood legend Diane Keaton died this month aged 79 |
||
| 27 | WITLESS |
Asinine second son follows with titles stripped (7)
|
| S (second) + S (son) follows W (with) + [t]ITLE[s] with outer letters removed (stripped)
Reference to Prince Andrew, who has lost his titles including Duke of York, following revelations in Virginia Giuffre’s recently published memoirs |
||
| 29 | TEENY |
Very small lift operative stole Parisian jewellery finally (5)
|
| Last letters (finally) of lifT operativE stolE parisiaN jewellerY
The thieves who recently stole jewellery from the Louvre used a ladder lift to access a first-floor window |
||
| 30 | PEACE PLAN |
Page expert in panel about Trump’s Nobel bid? (5,4)
|
| P (page) + ACE (expert) in an anagram (about) of PANEL
Trump has modestly put his own name forward for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing about the ceasefire in Gaza. This year’s prize was awarded to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BARONESS |
Exclude one extremely scandalous PPE beneficiary (8)
|
| BAR (exclude) + ONE + first and last letters (extremely) of ScandalouS
Reference to Baroness Michelle Mone, whose husband’s company PPE Medpro has been ordered to pay back £122 million for covid contracts if failed to fulfil but has so far failed to do so |
||
| 2 | SEES |
Clocks going back or forwards (4)
|
| SEES is a palindrome
Did you all enjoy your extra hour in bed this morning? |
||
| 3 | PIES |
Food Westminster moles maybe missed at first (4)
|
| [s]PIES (Westminster moles maybe) less the first letter (missed at first)
Reference to the collapsed trial against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry on charges of spying for China |
||
| 4 | TESLAS |
Least defective small cars (6)
|
| Anagram (defective) of LEAST + S (small)
Car maker Tesla has recently recalled 13,000 of its vehicles due to faulty battery packs |
||
| 5 | JAGUAR |
Cyber attack victim’s silver uniform covered in drink (6)
|
| AG (silver) + U (uniform) inserted in (covered in) JAR (drink)
Car manufacturer Jaguar had to shut down its production lines for a while this month following a cyber attack |
||
| 6 | PROTESTS |
Expert challenges recent US city gatherings (8)
|
| PRO (expert) + TESTS (challenges)
Americans have held protest marches in many US cities this month as part of the anti-Trump No Kings movement |
||
| 7 | CASTE |
Social class of Modi’s actors in auditorium (5)
|
| Sounds like (in auditorium) of “CAST” (actors)
Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of India, which has the caste system of social classes |
||
| 8 | BOW |
Object that’s drawn sign of respect from Takaichi? (3)
|
| Two definitions
Sanae Takaichi is the new Prime Minister of Japan |
||
| 12 | EAGER |
Keen representative a German welcomes (5)
|
| Hidden in (“welcomed” by) representativE A GERman
British PM Keir Starmer this week met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss action to support Ukraine |
||
| 13 | TWO |
Anything from Hockney mounted for couple (3)
|
| OWT (anything in Yorkshire dialect, hence “from Hockney”) reversed (mounted)
Yorkshire-born artist David Hockney’s 1968 painting of Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy is expected to fetch £45 million at its upcoming auction |
||
| 15 | TALKS |
Follow cycling events in Hungary that are shelved (5)
|
| STALK (follow) with the first letter “cycling” to the back
Trump’s plans to meet Putin in Hungary this month were shelved |
||
| 16 | HYACINTH |
Any hitch disorientated the lady of the house speaking? (8)
|
| Anagram (disorientated) of ANY HITCH
Actor Patricia Routledge died this month aged 96. One of her most famous roles was as Hyacinth Bucket in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, who would answer the phone with the phrase “the lady of the house speaking” |
||
| 18 | ASK |
Request Tomahawks ultimately held by American king (3)
|
| Last letter (ultimately) of tomahawkS inserted between (held by) A (American) + K (King) | ||
| 19 | GINGERLY |
Gen Y girl treated with caution (8)
|
| Anagram (treated) of GEN Y GIRL | ||
| 21 | COOPER |
Wow! A writer of penetrating literature (6)
|
| COO (wow) + PER (a)
Novelist Jilly Cooper died this month aged 88. Her books certainly did involve a lot of penetrating! |
||
| 22 | SHERPA |
Female artist capturing Penny’s rescuer on 11? (6)
|
| SHE (female) + RA (artist) containing (capturing) P (penny)
Sherpas led the mission to rescue over 500 climbers from Everest |
||
| 24 | RISEN |
English gentleman upset over number that’s soared (5)
|
| E (English) + SIR (gentleman) reversed (upset) over N (number) | ||
| 26 | AMY |
Storm before noon tracked by Yankee (3)
|
| AM (before noon) followed (tracked) by Y (Yankee)
The first named storm of the 2025-26 season hit large parts of north and western Europe at the start of the month |
||
| 27 | WEAR |
Show conflict enveloping centre of Donetsk (4)
|
| WAR (conflict) containing (enveloping) the middle letter (centre) of donEtsk
The war in Ukraine rumbles on… |
||
| 28 | TIED |
Drew leaders from the isles enjoying Diwali (4)
|
| First letters (leaders) from The Isles Enjoying Diwali
Hindus celebrated Diwali on 20 October |
Thanks, Widdersbel. I’m sitting at York railway station at the moment, waiting for a replacement bus to Wakefield – on my way home to Leicester, after the S and B – frustrated at not being able to solve the puzzle on the way! It will have to wait till I get home.
For 9a: SPOUSES – David Beckham is on the front of Country Life as he edits it this month, Victoria Beckham has had a much puffed Netflix series out this month (the reviews I
readsaw (skimmed) were mostly damning with faint praise as a good opportunity missed). Plus if you Google, loads of other stuff, because publicity means money.This was fun – entertaining as always from Leonidas and surprising how much he packed in.
Thank you to Leonidas and Widdersbel.
Thanks Leonidas and Widdersbel
I think you can add 18D to the thematics, as Tomahawk is the name of the cruise missiles requested by Zelenskyy at his abortive meeting with the would-be American king, who held on to them.
Thanks Leonidas and Widdersbel
Excellent puzzle. Very detailed and informative blog.