A superb puzzle from Guy for the December entry in the FT’s topical series. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The News puzzle is usually published on the final Sunday of the month but comes a week early in December with the final Sunday being a cruciverbal round-up of the whole year’s events something to look forward to next weekend. In the mean time, Guy has given us a thoroughly excellent puzzle to enjoy.
It’s quite a feat to come up with a crossword as good as this given the time constraints and need to cram in as much thematic material as possible. Chapeau, Guy. Among many great clues, I have to highlight 5 across, 5 down,12 down and 22 down as being particularly brilliant.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SUTURED |
Stitched up by turds, Ukraine’s borders moving (7)
|
| Anagram (moving) of TURDS + first and last letters (borders) of UkrainE
Putin’s proposed deal for Ukraine involves them giving up land to Russia |
||
| 5 | CASHES |
Gets ready for century with cricket series going badly (6)
|
| C (century) + ASHES (cricket series going badly)
Cricket series lost within the past few hours, in fact |
||
| 8 | GIMMES |
US soldier taken with Madame’s gifts (6)
|
| GI (US soldier) + MME’S (Madame’s – standard French abbreviation) | ||
| 9 | OBSERVER |
Witness Reeves & OBR blundering without a bit of embarrassment (8)
|
| Anagram (blundering) of REEVES + OBR less the first letter (bit of) Embarrassment | ||
| 10 | SPAT |
Row when East’s covered in flood (4)
|
| SPAT[e] (flood) less E (east)
Sri Lanka recently experienced some of its worst ever flooding |
||
| 11 | SANTA CLAUS |
Stocking filler? (5,5)
|
| Cryptic definition
Only a few days left until he visits all the good boys and girls… |
||
| 13 | CRIPES |
Brief epitaph in church finally commemorates Christ! (6)
|
| RIP (brief epitaph) in CE (church) + last letter of commemorateS
Cripes is euphemism for Christ – an example of what is known as a minced oath |
||
| 15 | FLOUNDER |
Turkey with 25% off , less than fish (8)
|
| FLO[p] (turkey) with 25% letters removed + UNDER (less than) | ||
| 16 | BAD ACTOR |
DC to Arab represented malign influence (3,5)
|
| Anagram (represented) of DC TO ARAB
Saudi Arabia is in fact one of few countries that currently has good relations with the US |
||
| 18 | BROACH |
Introduce train carriage with British Rail covering its front (6)
|
| COACH (train carriage) with its first letter replaced by BR (British Rail)
This month saw the launch of the uninspiring livery for the newly formed Great British Rail |
||
| 20 | PADDINGTON |
Star of new musical quietly putting on weight (10)
|
| P (quietly) + ADDING (putting on) + TON (weight)
As the clue says, a new Paddington musical opened recently |
||
| 23 | OWNS |
Has that hurt NHS, striking hospital? (4)
|
| OW (that hurt!) + N[h]S less H (hospital)
Resident doctors are on strike again over pay and working conditions |
||
| 24 |
Encounter cry of disgust — kid’s opening restricted website in Oz (8)
|
|
| FACE (encounter) + BOO (cry of disgust) + first letter of Kid
Social media sites are now banned in Australia for under-16s |
||
| 26 | WARM UP |
Western military apparatus informed, prepare for action (4,2)
|
| W (western) + ARM (military apparatus) + UP (informed)
The new boss of MI6, Blaise Metreweli, used her first public speech to warn of the threat from Russia |
||
| 27 | BANDIT |
Heard what Albanese did to 24? Criminal (6)
|
| Sounds like “BANNED IT” (what Albanese did to Facebook)
Anthony Albanese is the current PM of Australia |
||
| 28 | ODYSSEY |
Votes for leader of Your Party withdrawn, long story (7)
|
| YESS (votes for) + first letter of Your + DO (party)
I’d probably write the plural of yes as yeses but it looks a bit rum either way. Your Party is the new party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana that recently decided to form a leadership committee rather than have a single leader |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SKIPPER |
At sea, take charge of Venezuelan tanker (7)
|
| Two definitions
Skipper is the name of the Venezuelan oil tanker seized by the US last week in an act of brazen piracy justified under the flimsiest of pretexts. They’ve seized another only this morning |
||
| 2 | TOM STOPPARD |
Writer beginning to regret occupying cat’s favourite cushion (3,8)
|
| First letter of Regret inserted in TOM’S (cat’s) TOP (favourite) PAD (cushion)
Tom Stoppard, one of the greatest British playwrights of the 20th century, died recently aged 88 |
||
| 3 | ROSES |
Chocolates in tub were revolting and small (5)
|
| ROSE (were revolting) + S (small)
Non-UK based solvers might not be familiar with Roses or Quality Street, two seasonal selection tins from rival chocolatiers |
||
| 4 | DROWN |
Asphyxiate — term young Farage might have used in retrospect? (5)
|
| Reversal (in retrospect) of N-WORD (term young Farage might have used)
Recent revelations of Farage’s schoolboy racism are a surprise to precisely no one |
||
| 5 | COST A BOMB |
Coffee shop gang raised billions, as will World Cup tickets (4,1,4)
|
| COSTA (UK coffee shop chain) + MOB (gang) reversed (raised) + B (billions)
Fifa recently announced prices for tickets for next year’s World Cup to be held in the US, with the top tickets for the final costing an eye-watering $8,860 each |
||
| 6 | SIR |
Keir Starmer for example enjoys ironing trousers (3)
|
| Hidden in (trousers) enjoyS IRoning | ||
| 7 | EXECUTE |
River crossed close to Rome put to use (7)
|
| EXE (river) + CUT (crossed) + last letter of romE | ||
| 12 | LANDO NORRIS |
Sir Ronald? No, different guy at McLaren (5,6)
|
| Anagram (different) of SIR RONALD NO
McLaren driver Lando Norris was recently crowned Formula 1 champion for 2025. “Sir Ronald” is former McLaren boss Ron Dennis |
||
| 14 | SET ON FOOT |
Institute attacked Labour leader who couldn’t win an election (3,2,4)
|
| SET ON (attacked) + FOOT (Labour leader who couldn’t win an election) | ||
| 15 | FIR |
Christmas tree perhaps not quite stable (3)
|
| FIR[m] (stable) less the last letter (not quite) | ||
| 17 | AGA SAGA |
Like being gripped by a crazy Trollope novel? (3,4)
|
| AS (like) inserted in (gripped by) A GAGA (crazy)
Novelist Joanna Trollope recently died aged 82. She never liked the term Aga Saga to describe her books, which was coined by a journalist in the 80s and quickly stuck |
||
| 19 | CONJURY |
Opposed to panel of 12 peers, making it disappear? (7)
|
| CON (opposed to) + JURY (panel of 12 peers)
The government have announced that some criminal cases will no longer be heard before a jury in order to clear a backlog |
||
| 21 | TOKYO |
City: reasonable year for banks (5)
|
| TO (for) contains (banks) OK (reasonable) + Y (year)
Banks are indeed set for record annual profits – again – while the rest of us feel the squeeze |
||
| 22 | NO WAY |
Where there’s a peace prize handed out, Republican absent? Never (2,3)
|
| NO[r]WAY (where the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out) less R (Republican)
Donald Trump was awarded the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize recently in a ceremony that went far beyond cringeworthy |
||
| 25 | EID |
Date that is coming up, religious festival with stuffing (3)
|
| D (date) + IE (that is) reversed (coming up)
Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims. The “stuffing” refers to the fact that Eid is celebrated by breaking the fast |