Puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 27, 2025
This one came together quickly for me. My favourites are 6 (KIRIBATI) and 17 (SHEEPISH). Thank you, Pedrock.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | RADIATOR |
Warmer part of an engine? (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | AFRICA |
Continent where temperance organisation includes father, I see (6)
|
| FR (father) + I (I) + C (see) in (includes) AA (temperance organisation) | ||
| 11 | THERM |
Heating unit hospital needed in time (5)
|
| H (hospital) in (needed in) TERM (time) | ||
| 12 | SQUEAMISH |
Having removed his masque is easily nauseated (9)
|
| Anagram (having removed) of HIS MASQUE | ||
| 13 | SATANIC |
Did not stand heartless antic that was wicked (7)
|
| SAT (did not stand) + AN[t]IC | ||
| 14 | TOENAIL |
Hard thing to find on one’s foot (7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | MANIC DEPRESSIVE |
Fellow in charge tending to weaken, often feeling down (5- 10)
|
| MAN (fellow) + IC (in charge) + DEPRESSIVE (tending to weaken) | ||
| 18 | RIVULET |
Four strip outside junction with small stream (7)
|
| IV (four) in (outside) RULE (strip) + T (junction). ‘Rule’ can mean a strip of brass or other metal used to print a line. | ||
| 20 | INEXACT |
Fashionable former partner’s put on sham woolly (7)
|
| IN (fashionable) + EX (former partner) + ACT (sham) | ||
| 22 | HAMSTRUNG |
Actor suspended having been made powerless (9)
|
| HAM (actor) + STRUNG (suspended) | ||
| 23 | PATEN |
Father puts five pairs on plate (5)
|
| PA (father) + TEN (five pairs). A paten is a plate, usually of silver or gold, especially one used for bread in the Eucharist. | ||
| 24 | RHESUS |
Monkey, male’s in short grass (6)
|
| HES (male’s) in (in) + RUS[h] (short grass) | ||
| 25 | PROSPERO |
In favour of prose adaptation by Shakespearean (8)
|
| PRO (in favour of ) + anagram (adaptation) of PROSE | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PROTEST MARCHER |
One taking steps to air grievance in public (7,7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 2 | ADVERT |
Plug green commercial (6)
|
| AD (plug) + VERT (green) | ||
| 3 | HARMONIC |
Musical instrument incomplete (8)
|
| HARMONIC[a] (instrument incomplete) | ||
| 4 | HORSE CHESTNUT |
Fruit in the scones Ruth cooked! (5,8)
|
| Anagram (cooked) of THE SCONES RUTH | ||
| 5 | AFLAME |
Advanced celebrity houses left burning (6)
|
| A (advanced) + L (left) in FAME (celebrity) | ||
| 6 | KIRIBATI |
Leading tribesman entered Bairiki travelling round this country (8)
|
| T[ribesman] in (entered) anagram (travelling) of BAIRIKI. Bairiki is a town located in South Tarawa, Kiribati. | ||
| 9 | ACHILLES TENDON |
Fibrous cord contained shell disintegrating (8,6)
|
| Anagram (disintegrating) of CONTAINED SHELL | ||
| 10 | BUTTERFINGERS |
One who finds things hard to grasp (13)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | NOVEMBER |
Number five remains singularly for the month (8)
|
| NO (number) V (five) + EMBER (remains singularly) | ||
| 17 | SHEEPISH |
Embarrassed animal is leader of herd! (8)
|
| SHEEP (animal) + IS (is) + H[erd] | ||
| 19 | LITMUS |
Chemical paper ignited before problem turned up (6)
|
| LIT (ignited) + SUM (problem) backwards (turned up) | ||
| 21 | ANTLER |
Horn, dismantle rear part (6)
|
| Hidden word (part) |
The first cryptic I’ve ever been able to solve entirely without having to cheat on any of the clues.
Thanks Pedrock and Pete. Wellington@1: Congratulations. I hope and expect that it will be the first of many.
Thanks Pedrock. I found most of this fairly straightforward with my favourite clues being HAMSTRUNG, ACHILLES TENDON, HORSE CHESTNUT, & AFLAME. I failed with the nho KIRIBATI & couldn’t fully parse RIVULET (nho strip=rule). My only quibble was that the cryptic definitions were not ‘cryptic’ enough. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Lovely crossword, not difficult but nicely put together! Thanks to Pedrock, and Pete, for solving my nho Kiribati