An excellent topically themed puzzle from Leonidas. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The FT normally publishes its monthly news puzzle on the last Sunday of the month but that would have meant only three weeks since the previous one so the February instalment was delayed to today, the first day of March. This time round, it’s the ever-reliable Leonidas stepping up to the challenge – and what an excellent job he has done, cramming loads of topical references into clues that read smoothly with solid wordplay. Very enjoyable to solve. Thanks, Leonidas!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below.
| ACROSS | ||
| 5 | KOMPROMAT |
PM fine about order blocking scoundrel’s secret footage (9)
|
| PM + OK (fine) reversed (about) + OM (order) inserted in (blocking) RAT (scoundrel) | ||
| 8 | LIBYA |
Some say billionaires backed Saif al-Islam’s country (5)
|
| Some of sAY BILlionaires reversed (backed)
Saif al-Islam Gadaffi, son of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi, was assassinated in Libya in early February |
||
| 11 | TRAINER |
Centre in Cortina drops exhausted elder coach (7)
|
| Centre in corTina + RAIN (drops) + EldeR with the middle letters removed (exhaused)
The town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in northern Italy was one of the main venues for the recent Olympic Winter Games. |
||
| 12 | PENANCE |
Exercises Anne and Charlie organised as punishment (7)
|
| PE (exercises) + anagram (organised) of ANNE +C (Charlie)
Anne and Charlie are the King and his sister |
||
| 13 | ROLLMOP |
Pickled fish, bread and duck eaten by Farage? (7)
|
| ROLL (bread) + O (duck) inserted in (eaten by) MP (eg Farage)
You’d think it would be humble pie he’s eating after Thursday’s by-election result… |
||
| 16 | CURLING |
Dogfish split sliding stones (7)
|
| If you split Dogfish into its component parts, you get CUR (dog) + LING (fish)
At the aforementioned Winter Games, Scotland (representing Team GB) won a silver medal in the men’s team event. |
||
| 18 | EASEL |
Furtive person needing no introduction in frame (5)
|
| [w]EASEL (furtive person) less the first letter (needing no introduction) | ||
| 19 | LAI |
City near island imprisoned Jimmy (3)
|
| LA (city) + I (island)
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, already in prison for a fraud conviction, was recently handed a 20 year sentence for national security offences |
||
| 21 | SKIER |
Poor Keir’s one whose career is going downhill (5)
|
| Anagram (poor) of KIER’S
Nice double reference to our beleaguered prime minister and the Winter Games again |
||
| 23 | GROANED |
Complained and raged on broadcast (7)
|
| Anagram (broadcast) of RAGED ON | ||
| 26 | EPSTEIN |
Peter’s pal records time with one in Berlin (7)
|
| EPS (records) + T (time) + EIN (one in Berlin)
Peter Mandelson, the former MP, Ambassador and friend of Epstein, was recently arrested on charges of misconduct in public office |
||
| 28 | ADAPTOR |
Bill with suitable gold plug-in device (7)
|
| AD (bill) + APT (suitable) + OR (gold) | ||
| 30 | VACATED |
Ace TV ad about the status of Royal Lodge (7)
|
| Anagram (about) of ACE TV AD
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has had to leave his home of the Royal Lodge in Windsor |
||
| 32 | DWARF |
Tiny opening for Duvall facing clash with female (5)
|
| Opening letter of Duvall + WAR (clash) + F (female) | ||
| 33 | CONSULATE |
Fool America over delayed French building in Nuuk? (9)
|
| CON (fool) + US (America) reversed (over) + LATE (delayed)
France recently opened a consulate in the Greenland city of Nuuk in a show of solidarity against US threats |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SKATER |
Expert with blades runs after swimmer (6)
|
| R (runs) after SKATE (fish = swimmer)
Another event at the Winter Games |
||
| 2 | IRAN |
Artist visiting home country with armada nearby (4)
|
| RA (artist) inserted in (visiting) IN (home)
Reference to US warships gathering near Iran. The situation has escalated somewhat in the last couple of days… |
||
| 3 | EMIR |
Sultanate mirthfully welcomes Prince in Saudi (4)
|
| Hidden in (welcomed by) sultanatE MIRthfully | ||
| 4 | PLAN |
Scheme clear if eighth in succession is removed (4)
|
| PLAIN (clear) with the eighth letter in successIon removed
Andrew M-W is currently eighth in line to the throne but there are plans to remove him |
||
| 6 | MEASLES |
Doctor Al sees mass outbreak of this in UK (7)
|
| Anagram (doctor) of AL SEES M (mass)
Measles has returned to parts of northwest England due to low uptake of vaccination |
||
| 7 | TOPIC |
Subject of Tourette’s initially raised on film (5)
|
| First letters (initially) of Of Tourette’s reversed (raised) + PIC (film)
John Davidson, director of the film I Swear, fell unfortunate victim to his Tourette’s while in the audience at the recent Baftas, where the film’s star Robert Aramayo won Best Actor |
||
| 9 | BONDI |
Spy on current attorney general (5)
|
| BOND (spy) + I (symbol for electrical current)
Pam Bondi is current US Attorney General |
||
| 10 | AVENGER |
Green van almost injured Tony Stark? (7)
|
| Anagram (injured) of GREEN VA[n]
Tony Stark is Iron Man in the Avengers films, played by Robert Downey Jr |
||
| 14 | MILAN |
Staff patrolling boundaries of imperial city (5)
|
| MAN (staff) surrounding (patrolling) first and last letters (boundaries) of ImperiaL
The other main host city of the Winter Games |
||
| 15 | PAL |
PM ally oddly is China (3)
|
| Odd letters of Pm AlLy
The prime minister recently visited China to discuss a trade deal |
||
| 17 | RESTS |
Son following others to see Virgo’s spiders? (5)
|
| S (son) following REST (others)
Snooker star John Virgo – former player and latterly commentator for the sport – died this month aged 79 |
||
| 18 | ENGLAND |
Glen cycling with Six Nations underachievers (7)
|
| The GLEN ‘cycling’ to EN>GL + AND (with)
England have so far lost two of their three games in this year’s Six Nations rugby tournament |
||
| 20 | ICE |
Trump’s enforcers surface in the Olympics (3)
|
| Two definitions
The US did send ICE agents to Italy during the Games, supposedly to provide security for US athletes |
||
| 22 | INERTIA |
2’s leader with tin ear created an inactive state (7)
|
| I (first letter of 2 down) + anagram (created) of TIN EAR | ||
| 24 | O’HARA |
Paddle around hot area for Schitt’s Creek star (5)
|
| OAR (paddle) around H (hot) + A (area)
Catherine O’Hara, star of Schitt’s Creek, died this month aged 71 |
||
| 25 | DIRAC |
Physicist in Washington entertaining Gershwin? (5)
|
| DC (Washington) containing (entertaining) IRA (Gershwin) | ||
| 27 | NUDGED |
Prompted Brown upset with extremely gauche duke (6)
|
| DUN (brown) reversed (upset) + first and last letters (extremely) of GauchE + D (duke) | ||
| 29 | TIFF |
Bicker with a Republican abandoning 15% global tax (4)
|
| A + R (Republican) abandoning TARIFF (15% global tax)
US courts recently overturned Trump’s trade tariffs as unconstitutional |
||
| 30 | VONN |
Five working with new American alpine racer (4)
|
| V (five) + ON (working) + N (new)
Olympics again – American alpine skier Lindsay Vonn suffered a heavy crash 13 seconds into her run that resulted in horrific leg injuries |
||
| 31 | COUP |
Masterstroke of officer arresting second of suspects (4)
|
| COP (officer) containing (arresting) second letter of sUspects
Reference to the arrest of Peter Mandelson, following the arrest of Andrew M-W |
Excellent puzzle. Thanks Leonidas.
Thanks Widdersbel for the superb blog.