The monthly current affairs-themed puzzle returns. Find it on the FT website to solve online or download and print, or via the FT smartphone app.
A most enjoyable puzzle. Not as difficult as Basilisk can be but with plenty of characteristically precise and inventive clueing. I’m probably missing a few topical references – feel free to fill in any gaps in the comments below and share your favourites.
Thanks, Basilisk!
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SNARED |
Anderson dismissing last pair out caught (6)
|
| Anagram (out) of ANDERS[on] (“dismissing last pair”)
Lancashire and England bowler Jimmy Anderson, 41, has announced he is retiring at the end of the current cricket season. |
||
| 4 | STREET |
Mayor who didn’t get in way (6)
|
| Two definitions
Andy Street failed to retain the position of Mayor of Birmingham in the recent elections. |
||
| 8 | GARRICK |
Ridicule over male club (7)
|
| Reversal (over) of RAG (ridicule) + RICK (male)
Members of the Garrick Club voted to accept women in a recent ballot. |
||
| 9/25 | SHIRLEY CONRAN |
Writer and reporter’s certainly managed to protect company name (7,6)
|
| SHIRLEY sounds like (reporter’s) SURELY (certainly) + RAN (managed) containing (to protect) CO (company) + N (name)
Novelist Shirley Conran died this month at the age of 91. |
||
| 11 | TURBULENCE |
Unruly character affected club tenure (10)
|
| Anagram (affected) of CLUB TENURE
A recent Singapore Airlines flight was affected by extreme turbulence that led to the death of one passenger and 40 more being injured. |
||
| 12 | CLAP |
Applaud series of UCLA protests (4)
|
| Hidden in (series of) uCLA Protests
Students at the University of California LA campus have been holding pro-Palestine protests. |
||
| 13 | FA CUP |
Confront losing point by leading competition (2,3)
|
| FACE UP (confront) less (losing) E (point [of the compass])
The FA Cup final was contested yesterday between Manchester City and Manchester United, the latter winning 2-1. |
||
| 14 | WHITE ANT |
Social creature’s need to consume dose of heroin and ecstasy (5,3)
|
| WANT (need) containing (to consume) HIT (dose of heroin) + E (ecstasy) | ||
| 16 | IRISH SEA |
Raisi’s helicopter engine initially failed somewhere near Britain (5,3)
|
| Anagram (failed) of RAISI’S + first letters (initially) of Helicopter Engine
President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi died last week when his helicopter crashed. |
||
| 18 | FLOOD |
Nutrition containing little to begin with is overwhelming issue in Kenya (5)
|
| FOOD (nutrition) containing first letter (to begin with) of Little | ||
| 20 | FURY |
Exhausted fighter tangling with Usyk regularly? (4)
|
| Anagram (tangling) of FighteR with middle letters removed (exhausted) and alternate letters (regularly) of UsYk
Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury lost his title unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk last week. |
||
| 21 | SOLAR STORM |
This star’s outburst provided spectacular viewing on Sky? (5,5)
|
| Cryptic definition
A solar storm led to spectacular aurora displays across the northern hemisphere recently. |
||
| 23 | CARIBOU |
Acknowledgement of debt to vehicle featuring lead in Baby Reindeer? (7)
|
| IOU (acknowledgment of debt) [added] to CAR (vehicle) containing (featuring) first letter of (lead in) Baby
Baby Reindeer is a controversial hit series on Netflix based on the real-life experiences of comedian Richard Gadd who wrote and stars in it. |
||
| 24 |
See 26
|
|
| 25 |
See 9
|
|
| 26/24 | STORMY DANIELS |
Angry denials provoked star witness (6,7)
|
| STORMY (angry) + anagram (provoked) of DENIALS
The Trump court case rolls on. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SNAFU |
Chaos upset United supporters (5)
|
| Reversal (upset) of U (united) + FANS (supporters)
United supporters are probably quite happy after yesterday’s result in the 13A final. |
||
| 2 | AEROBIC |
Type of exercise drill welcomed by agency in retrospect (7)
|
| BORE (drill) inserted in (welcomed by) CIA (agency) reversed (in retrospect) | ||
| 3 | ESCALOPES |
Cuts and runs after key act’s introduction (9)
|
| LOPES (runs) after ESC (key) + first letter (introduction) of Act | ||
| 5 | TE-HEE |
I’m amused that man cuts support for drivers (2-3)
|
| HE (that man) inserted in (cuts) TEE (support for drivers) | ||
| 6 | EARACHE |
Complaint about ambassador supporting blighted area (7)
|
| C (about) + HE (ambassador) following (supporting) an anagram (blighted) of AREA | ||
| 7 | TREPANNED |
Cut disc from record and rent out decks (9)
|
| An anagram (out) of AND RENT contains (decks) EP (record) | ||
| 10 | SNOWBALLS |
Drinks with former news anchor and cabinet minister (9)
|
| [Jon] SNOW (former news anchor) + [Ed] BALLS (cabinet minister) | ||
| 13 | FORMULAIC |
Fico involved with start of right-wing maul conforming to a pattern (9)
|
| Anagram (involved) of FICO + first letter (start) of Right-wing + MAUL
Robert Fico, president of Slovakia, is still fighting for his life after being shot by a man who disagreed with his policies. |
||
| 15 | INFORMANT |
Grass stain for man tending borders (9)
|
| staIN FOR MAN Tending contains (borders) the solution | ||
| 17 | STYGIAN |
Gloomy nationalists upset about unknown soldier (7)
|
| NATS (nationalists) reversed (upset) containing (about) Y (unknown) + GI (soldier) | ||
| 19 | OUTLIER |
Anomalous result of fake news following public resistance (7)
|
| LIE (fake news) following OUT (public) + R (resistance) | ||
| 21 | SHONA |
African people’s silence over North America (5)
|
| SH (silence) + O (over) + N (north) + A (America) | ||
| 22 | RELAY |
Ivy league university rector brought up race (5)
|
| YALE (Ivy League university) + R (rector) reversed (brought up) |
FA CUP
Read it slightly differently:
confront=FACe
less e
leading=UP
Def: competition
(confront could be ‘face up to’. Is ‘face up’ also ok?)
My faves: FURY, SOLAR STORM and FORMULAIC (Fico leads a right-wing coalition).
Yet another superb puzzle from Basilisk and yet another master class blog from Widdersbel! Thanks both!
FURY FR and UY come in the same order in the solution but are intertwined. It is still an anagram but just thought of sharing this observation.
KVa – yes, good point – I agree with your parsing: FACE = confront, and UP = leading. Probably shows that I wrote the blog in a bit of a rush this morning – busy today…
Great puzzle and blog. STREET was my favourite for the simplicity.
So many UK references, with a couple of unusual words thrown in, made this tough for me. And I did not really have much time to spend with it today.
OUTLIER was my favourite. It was an enjoyable and informative blog
Thanks Basilisk and Widdersbel
Loved this when I remembered to look for it. I thought STYGIAN was referring to the SNP and/or Plaid Cymru current difficulties. And Kenya is really flooded
Thank you to Widdersbel and Basilisk.
Yes, it’s the remembering, isn’t it, Shanne? (They seem to come round so fast.)
A busy day today, so I’m so glad I found time for this. Not for the first time I’ll say how utterly in awe I am of both setter and blogger in spotting and articulating and enlarging upon such snippets of news, right up to the tight deadline.
Splendid cluing, with wordplay and surfaces so aptly matching definitions (4ac, 11ac, 12ac, 13ac, 16ac, 20ac, 23ac and 13dn) with the stunning 26/24 top of the bill.
RIP Shirley Conran. Not wasting time stuffing mushrooms (one of my daughter’s (!) favourite excuses) certainly worked for her.
Huge thanks and chapeau once again to the magnificent duo – I didn’t spot any missed references, Widdersbel!
(I do hope more folk will find time in tomorrow’s break to have a go at this.)
Many thanks to Widdersbel for the thoroughly excellent blog, and to everyone who has taken the time to comment.