Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 8, 2025
My first-in was 22 (OOMPH) closely followed by my first of the 15-letter clues 9 (THROW IN THE TOWEL). I completed the puzzle fairly quickly taking some help for 13a (GREASER) and 18 (NOTORNIS). My favourite clue is 9 and I also especially like 2 (ARCHDEACON).
I have a quibble with 18 (NOTORNIS). The definition is evidently “NZ Rail” but I think it should be “NZ rail”. My understanding is that definitions may be as cryptic as can be, but they should never be disguised or deliberately obscured in any other way. And in 18, initially capitalizing “Rail” seriously obscures the definition. What is the general feeling about this?
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | THROW IN THE TOWEL |
With ten howler monkeys around, about to capitulate? (5,2,3,5)
|
| TO (to) in (around) anagram (monkeys) of WITH TEN HOWLER | ||
| 10 | ATHEIST |
Sceptic is entertained by Mad Hatter endlessly (7)
|
| IS (is) in (entertained by) anagram (mad) of HATTE[r] | ||
| 11 | ROBIN |
Carefully examining wingless bird (5)
|
| [p]ROBIN[g] | ||
| 12 | TWANG |
At first they were all nervy — finally showing pluck (5)
|
| T[hey] W[ere] A[ll] N[ervy] + [showin]G | ||
| 13 | GREASER |
Feminist writer dressing as biker (7)
|
| AS (as) in (dressing) GREER (feminist write, i.e. Germaine Greer). ‘Greaser’ is a British slang term for a young, long-haired motorcyclist. | ||
| 14 | E-BOAT |
Spain stole Brit’s last vessel (1-4)
|
| E (Spain) + BOA (stole) + [bri]T | ||
| 17 | LOCH NESS MONSTER |
Elusive creature left knight among radge Scots horsemen (4,4,7)
|
| L (left) + N (knight) in (among) anagram (radge) of SCOTS HORSEMEN. According to Collins, ‘Radge’ is a Scottish term meaning angry or rage. | ||
| 19 | ERNST |
Service in French is for German artist (5)
|
| RN (service, i.e. Royal Navy) in (in) EST (French is). The artist being Max Ernst. | ||
| 20 | TEMPERA |
Modify by blending a paint (7)
|
| TEMPER (modify by blending) + A (a) | ||
| 22 | OOMPH |
Drive round with zero speed (5)
|
| O (round) + O (zero) + MPH (speed, i.e. miles per hour) | ||
| 24 | GONER |
Live wire securing pole killed person (5)
|
| N (pole) in (securing) GOER (live wire) | ||
| 26 | ENGROSS |
Explosive snores around midnight capture attention (7)
|
| G (midnight) in (around) anagram (explosive) of SNORES | ||
| 28 | THE DIVINE COMEDY |
Poem in article with wonderful humour (3,6,6)
|
| THE (article) + DIVINE (wonderful) + COMEDY (humour) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ETNA |
Characters returned from enchanted mountain (4)
|
| Reverse (returned) hidden word (characters from) | ||
| 2 | ARCHDEACON |
Cleric’s waggish academic keeping company (10)
|
| ARCH (waggish) + CO (company) in (keeping) DEAN (academic) | ||
| 3 | AWAITS |
Hopes for area neighbouring Western Isles (6)
|
| A (area) + W (western) + AITS (isles) | ||
| 4 | UNIT TRUST |
Financial product one thing to have faith in (4,5)
|
| UNIT (one) + TRUST (thing to have faith in) | ||
| 5 | SHIVA |
Muslim kind restraining very destructive deity (5)
|
| V (very) in (restraining) SHIA (Muslim kind) | ||
| 6 | STURGEON |
Armoured fish finally out to break bones (8)
|
| [ou]T in (to break) SURGEON (bones) | ||
| 7 | SWAB |
Deck cleaner was injured close to pub (4)
|
| Anagram (injured) of WAS + [pu]B | ||
| 8 | PLANETARIA |
Arrange song about extraterrestrial orreries? (10)
|
| PLAN (arrange) + ET (extraterrestrial) + ARIA (song) | ||
| 13 | GOLDEN GATE |
Strait in Donegal almost gets stormy (6,4)
|
| Anagram (stormy) of DONEGAL GET[s] | ||
| 15 | ON THE ROPES |
Those prone, possibly near to collapse (2,3,5)
|
| Anagram (possibly) of THOSE PRONE | ||
| 16 | SMOTHERED |
Suppressed old woman in southeast died (9)
|
| MOTHER (old woman) in (in) SE (southeast) + D (died) | ||
| 18 | NOTORNIS |
NZ Rail in evil nonsense about going north (8)
|
| SIN (evil) + ROT (nonsense) + ON (about) all backwards (going north). Notoronis, new to me, is a bird of the rail family found in marshlands of New Zealand. | ||
| 21 | MAGGOT |
Bar one, wise men understood larval form (6)
|
| MAG[i] (bar one, wise men) + GOT (understood) | ||
| 23 | MAXIM |
Saw an early machine gun (5)
|
| Double defintion. The second refers to Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (1840 – 1916), an American-born British inventor best known as the creator of the first automatic machine gun, | ||
| 25 | NOEL |
Creator of dynamite book coming out for Xmas (4)
|
| NO[b]EL (creator of dynamite, book coming out) | ||
| 27 | STYX |
Hellish river flows no more from mouth? (4)
|
| Homophone (from mouth) of “sticks” (flows no more) |
I had many ticks today. I liked the FOI THROW IN THE TOWEL, UNIT TRUST, MAGGOT, NESSIE, and GOLDEN GATE
I have one question: in 6d why does bones = SURGEON?
It was nice to see Neo throttling back on the GK, and whilst some was needed it was not excessive. Talking of GK, I knew neither NOTORNIS nor rail as a bird, and the answer remained a mystery even after I solved the clue as a jorum. I do not feel strongly about the false capital in Rail, although I do admit it stopped me looking rail up in the dictionary.
Thanks Neo and Pete
I really enjoyed this one.
Favourites were: LOCH NESS MONSTER, ROBIN, THE DIVINE COMEDY, MAGGOT, GONER, ARCHDEACON
Thanks Neo and Pete Maclean
Martyn@1, I assume that Bones is star trek. I would have said doctor rather than surgeon, but…
I was flummoxed by notornis. Despite the capitalisation issue I knew it was an NZ bird, and I thought I knew them reasonably well – and indeed I do know the Takahe but never by that name.
Thanks for the puzzle and blog, a bit of a diversion from getting impaled by the prize…