Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 29, 2025
What a recognizably Rosa puzzle!
My favourites are 1a (MY FOOT), 2 (FUNDAMENT), 4 (PREDATES), 7 (THEFT) and 18 (EMPHASIS). Thank you, Ms Klebb.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MY FOOT |
Absolutely not what’s in Rosa Klebb’s shoe (2,4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | PREDATES |
Hunts and kills poor dear pets (8)
|
| Anagram (poor) of DEAR PETS. ‘Predatory’ is, I think, a common word but I do not recall coming across the verbal form before. | ||
| 9 | ARNICA |
Some peculiar Nicaraguan herbal remedy (6)
|
| Hidden word (some) | ||
| 10 | ROUSSEAU |
Open University dons assure worried philosopher (8)
|
| OU (Open University) in (dons) anagram (worried) of ASSURE | ||
| 12 | DIATRIBE |
Reported terrible social division and vituperation (8)
|
| DIA (homophone of “dire”) + TRIBE (social division) | ||
| 13 | ULSTER |
Intermittently unnoticed, unless they’re in Paisley area (6)
|
| U[n]L[e]S[s]T[h]E[y]R[e] with a definition that invokes the Reverend Ian Paisley | ||
| 15 | RUES |
Broadcast bounder’s regrets (4)
|
| Homophone (broadcast) of “ruse” (bounder) | ||
| 16 | PREVIOUSLY |
Dislocated your pelvis once (10)
|
| Anagram (dislocated) of YOUR PELVIS | ||
| 19 | INTIMIDATE |
Chum clipping flanks of ill- tempered cow (10)
|
| I[ll-tempere]D in (clipping) INTIMATE (chum) | ||
| 20 | STUB |
Withdrawing objections is a bit of a fag (4)
|
| BUTS (objections) backwards (withdrawing) | ||
| 23 | PLUSHY |
Lavish bonus starts to hearten you (6)
|
| PLUS (bonus) + H[earten] Y[ou] | ||
| 25 | CONVERGE |
Meet leader of conspiracy by side of road (8)
|
| CON[spiracy] + VERGE (side of the road) | ||
| 27 | TO BE SURE |
Tense and guarded, regularly following orders no doubt (2,2,4)
|
| T (tense) + OBES (orders) + [g]U[a]R[d]E[d] | ||
| 28 | BRAINS |
Intellectuals at home wearing women’s underwear (6)
|
| IN (at home) in (wearing) BRAS (women’s underwear) | ||
| 29 | SPARSITY |
Dearth of sex, years after fights (8)
|
| SPARS (fights) + IT (sex) + Y (years) | ||
| 30 | BEHELD |
Saw Rachel half-cut in the sack (6)
|
| [Rac]HEL in (in) (BED) (the sack) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MEANDER |
Beginning to despair, constricted by comparatively tight snake (7)
|
| D[espair] in (constricted by) MEANER (comparatively tight) | ||
| 2 | FUNDAMENT |
Jolly lady with extremely neat buttocks (9)
|
| FUN (jolly) + DAME (lady) + N[ea]T | ||
| 3 | OSCARS |
Awards ceremony on Saturday initially held up by traffic (6)
|
| O[n] S[aturday] + CARS (traffic) | ||
| 5 | RIOT |
Orgy over in conservatoire (4)
|
| Reverse (over) hidden word (in) | ||
| 6 | DISALLOW |
Reject and insult everyone that hurt me (8)
|
| DIS (insult) + ALL (everyone) + OW (that hurt me) | ||
| 7 | THEFT |
Taking offence daily (5)
|
| THE FT (daily) with a neatly cryptic definition | ||
| 8 | SQUIRMY |
One’s underneath bulk of male escort, wriggling (7)
|
| SQUIR[e] (bulk of male escort) + MY (one’s) | ||
| 11 | OBTRUDE |
Push out old Benedict, disheartened and humble (7)
|
| O (old) + B[enedic]T + RUDE (humble) | ||
| 14 | OVATION |
Hand vino to a drunk (7)
|
| Anagram (drunk) of VINO TO A | ||
| 17 | SATURNINE |
Moody aunties angrily inhaling Senior Service (9)
|
| RN (Senior Service, that is the Royal Navy) in (inhaling) anagram (angrily) of AUNTIES | ||
| 18 | EMPHASIS |
Stress of priest taken in by false messiah (8)
|
| P (priest) in (taken in by) anagram (false) of MESSIAH | ||
| 19 | IMPETUS |
Motivation of international politician in France and America (7)
|
| I (international) + MP (politician) + ET (in France and) + US (America) | ||
| 21 | BLESSED |
Bloody lucky! (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | AVERSE |
Hostile states finally negotiate (6)
|
| AVERS (states) + [negotiat]E | ||
| 24 | UMBRA |
Part of Italy without single area of shade (5)
|
| UMBR[i]A (part of Italy without ‘I’) | ||
| 26 | DRAT |
Bother doctor over a temperature (4)
|
| DR (doctor) + A (a) + T (temperature) |