Puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 10, 2025
This was a nice gentle solve for me. My first-in was 22 (COCKATOOS) which I got in a flash and my last was 19 BONEHEAD. My favourite clues are 2 (OUT OF LINE), 12 (CONUNDRUM), 17 (CONSOMME), 22 and 23 (CAVIL).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PROCRASTINATE |
Chatter about actors running popular stall (13)
|
| Anagram (running) of ACTORS + IN (popular) together in (about) PRATE (chatter) | ||
| 9 | POTHOLE |
Spooner’s very warm staff explore underground (7)
|
| Spoonerism of “hot pole” (very warm staff) | ||
| 10 | LIGHTER |
Ignition device probably easier to carry (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | RIFLE |
Item maybe loaded back inside barrel first (5)
|
| Reverse (back) hidden word (inside) | ||
| 12 | CONUNDRUM |
Sister feeds swimmer with drink problem (9)
|
| NUN (sister) in (feeds) COD (swmmer) + RUM (drink) | ||
| 13 | SKIN-DEEP |
Shallow ooze encircling class (4-4)
|
| KIND (class) in (encircling) in SEEP (ooze) | ||
| 15 | VIRGIN |
Maiden driving out having day off (6)
|
| Anagram (off) of [d]RIVING | ||
| 18 | EVEN SO |
A number cycling over still (4,2)
|
| SEVEN (a number) circularly shifted one place left (cycling) + O (over) | ||
| 19 | BONEHEAD |
Solitary man interrupting poor Charlie (8)
|
| ONE (solitary) + HE (man) together in (interrupting) BAD (poor) | ||
| 22 | COCKATOOS |
Birds from coast Cook cooked (9)
|
| Anagram (cooked) of COAST COOK | ||
| 24 | TITAN |
Giant winged creature eviscerated Aladdin (5)
|
| TIT (winged creature) + A[laddi]N | ||
| 25 | PIVOTAL |
A lot changed after bigwig turned key (7)
|
| VIP (bigwig) backwards (turned) + anagram (changed) of A LOT | ||
| 26 | MONTAGE |
Composite image of Mike acting without son? (7)
|
| M (mike) + ON [s]TAGE (acting without son) | ||
| 27 | LIECHTENSTEIN |
Country Tale chapter 10 by Gertrude or Rick? (13)
|
| LIE (tale) + CH (chapter) + TEN (10) + STEIN (Gertrude or Rick) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PAPYRUS |
Manuscript of drivel Treasury half-spun (7)
|
| PAP (drivel) + anagram (spun) of {trea}sury | ||
| 2 | OUT OF LINE |
Ill-prepared angler may be so impudent (3,2,4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | RHONE |
River perfect following closure of pier (5)
|
| [pie]R + HONE (perfect) | ||
| 4 | SKETCHES |
Outlines singular vessels with two masts (8)
|
| S (singular) + KETCHES (vessels with two masts) | ||
| 5 | IDLING |
Two fishes not doing an awful lot (6)
|
| ID LING (two fishes) | ||
| 6 | ARGENTINE |
South American male unmarried soldier hugs (9)
|
| GENT (make) in (hugs) [m]ARINE (unmarried soldier) | ||
| 7 | ESTER |
Sees terrorists securing compound (5)
|
| Hidden word (securing) | ||
| 8 | BREMEN |
City of Bergen periodically crowning queens? (6)
|
| B[e]R[g]E[n] + MEN (queens, as in chess I guess). I originally parsed this with ‘crowning’ referring to the most common form of “pawn promotion”. Now commenters are suggesting that ‘crowning’ refers only to order. I can see it that way, sure, but am still not convinced. However it seems that the weight of opinion is against me. | ||
| 14 | DISMANTLE |
Strip books bound by gloomy European (9)
|
| NT (books) in (bound by) DISMAL (gloomy) + E (European) | ||
| 16 | GREAT DANE |
Pet possibly destroyed tea garden (5,4)
|
| Anagram (destroyed) of TEA GARDEN | ||
| 17 | CONSOMME |
Italian with starter of mint in a little soup (8)
|
| CON (Italian with) + M[int] in (in) SOME (a little) | ||
| 18 | ESCAPE |
Take off from base on small coastal area (6)
|
| E (base) + S (small) + CAPE (coastal area) | ||
| 20 | DUNGEON |
Excavated around New Age prison (7)
|
| N (new) in (around) DUG (excavated) + EON (age) | ||
| 21 | MOOLAH |
Tin of rolled meat stuffed with game (6)
|
| LOO (game) in (stuffed with) HAM (meat) both backwards (rolled) with the definition being a slang term for money | ||
| 23 | CAVIL |
Two-thirds of delicacy left? Complain! (5)
|
| CAVI[ar] (two-thirds of delicacy) + L (left) | ||
| 24 | TUNIS |
Places to read south of tense capital (5)
|
| T (tense) + UNIS (places to read) |
I share Pete’s favourites, CONSOMME and CONUNDRUM, as well as liking IDLING, GREAT DANE’S surface, ‘unmarried soldier’ in ARGENTINE, the ‘half-spun’ of PAPYRUS and thought RIFLE well hidden.
Thanks for a super puzzle, Leonidas, and Pete for the blog.
I agree it was on the easier end. Nevertheless I thought it was Leonidas returning to top form
Liked TITAN, DUNGEON, COCKATOOS, SKIN DEEP, OUT OF LINE.
Could not parse DISMANTLE, so we thanks Pete. There was one clue I did not agree with: I find it difficult to think of a POTHOLE as underground.
Thanks Leonidas and Pete
Martyn @2,
I entered POTHOLE, defining it as ‘explore underground’ without a second glance. It’s true I thought of it as going potholing (caving) and just assumed it could be used as a verb ‘to pothole’ although I haven’t found a reference to confirm this. Perhaps someone will mine the depths of various dictionaries online or otherwise and come up with the goods!
A quick solve but most enjoyable. Last one in was moolah. Only ever come across loo as a game and tin = money in crosswordland, and moolah was new to me.
Martyn.. potholing in UK is spelunking.in US.
Thanks Leonidas and Pete!
Thanks Andym@4. If only I knew what spelunking means.
Actually I looked them both up and as Diane suggested they mean explore underground caves. I should have read the blog more carefully and looked up the dictionary before commenting
POTHOLE
For the sake of completeness …
Chambers
pothole (intransitive verb and transitive verb)
To explore (limestone potholes)
pothole noun
Sl no.2 A deep hole eroded in limestone, a pot (see pot4)
pot4
A deep hole eg in limestone country, a pothole.
Lovely puzzle
Liked loads but I think my favourites were: MONTAGE, LIECHTENSTEIN, BONEHEAD, CONSOMME, DISMANTLE
Thanks Leonidas and Pete
Bonehead was one my first few in, as it was a favourite of ginf senior, esp used for pollies who denigrated the arts. Had a vague idea that moolah was an Ozism, but no, google says probably US. Nice smooth puzzle, thanks Leonidas and Pete.
Thanks Leonidas. Lots to like here including LIGHTER, CONUNDRUM, TITAN, PIVOTAL, ARGENTINE, GREAT DANE (great surface), and CONSOMME. My only stumble was MOOLAH, not knowing ‘loo’ as a game. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks for the blog , I will not even begin to list clues , so many , so neat , so clever . Precise and concise , a masterclass of wordplay in all its variety .
BREMEN I had slightly different , agree queens=MEN from chess but I took the crowning as just being above in a Down clue, the pawns are crowned or usually queened .
I parsed Bremen as Roz.
I agree with Roz and Hovis ref the parsing of BREMEN and with everyone else about the smoothness of the cluing. Which is what I anticipate in a Leonidas puzzle. Never gave a second thought to POTHOLE as a verb, having done plenty of walking in the Lakes, Derbyshire and Yorkshire where there are plenty of folk brave enough to do it. You would not get me squeezing through narrow water filled gaps underground for love nor money!
RIFLE is very clever: I took it as a sort of clue-as-definition with ‘loaded back inside’ doing the job of reverse hidden indicator. VIRGIN, TITAN, PAPYRUS, ARGENTINE, CONSOMME, MOOLAH and CAVIL were my faves.
Thanks Leonidas and Pete M
Another lovely puzzle from Leonidas.
All my ticks have been included above.
IDLING made me laugh – they’ve both worked hard in crosswords over the years.
Many thanks to Leonidas for the fun and Pete for the blog.
Very enjoyable puzzle!
8D: Queens could be (gay) men.