Puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 25, 2025
I enjoy having frequent Rosa puzzles these days. She is in fine form with this one. My favorites are 5 (SHINNED), 13 (FRACAS), 23d (AUDIO) and 27 (Psycho). Thank you, Rosa.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CONCEPTS |
Ideas previously adopted by Communist Party, way back (8)
|
| ONCE (previously) in (adopted by) CP (Communist Party) + ST (way) backwards (back) | ||
| 6 | SET OUT |
Wings of scarce hawk exhibited (3,3)
|
| S[carc]E + TOUT (hawk) | ||
| 9 | OF LATE |
Old apartment close to collapse recently (2,4)
|
| O (old) + FLAT (apartment) + [collaps]E | ||
| 10 | INTEREST |
Benefit of winter vest initially ignored (8)
|
| [w]INTER [v]EST | ||
| 11 | WOODBURNER |
Browned our nuts in stove (10)
|
| Anagram (nuts) of BROWNED OUR | ||
| 12 | TUTU |
Oddly trustful Nobel Peace Prize winner (4)
|
| T[r]U[s]T[f]U[l] | ||
| 13 | FRACAS |
French and British arbitrators quarrel (6)
|
| FR (French) + ACAS (British arbitrators). ACAS is the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom. | ||
| 15 | DISTASTE |
Aversion is stated vigorously (8)
|
| Anagram (vigorously) of IS STATED | ||
| 18 | SEA LORDS |
Naval officers reportedly make out by cricket ground (3,5)
|
| Homophone (reportedly) of “see” (make out) + LORDS (cricket ground) | ||
| 20 | NODDLE |
Brain of Newton with strange conclusions from fateful apple (6)
|
| N (newton) + ODD (strange) + [fatefu]L [appl]E | ||
| 21 | SCAR |
Leave mark on naked statuettes (4)
|
| [o]SCAR[s] (naked statuettes) | ||
| 23 | ALEXANDRIA |
Mediterranean city and state controlled by Amazon’s assistant (10)
|
| AND (and) + RI (state, i.e. RHODE ISLAND) together in (controlled by) ALEXA (Amazon’s assistant) | ||
| 25 | DAFFODIL |
Revolutionary cover of Vogue is yellow (8)
|
| LID (cover) + OF (of) + FAD (vogue) all backwards (revolutionary) | ||
| 26 | INDIGO |
Colour of diamonds nicked by Jones the Architect (6)
|
| D (diamonds) in (nicked by) INIGO (Jones the Architect) | ||
| 27 | PSYCHO |
Film some tipsy choristers (6)
|
| Hidden word (some) | ||
| 28 | HANGER-ON |
Hot fury towards sycophant (6-2)
|
| H (hot) + ANGER (fury) + ON (towards) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | OFF COURSE |
Female dons clearly on the wrong track (3,6)
|
| F (female) in (dons) OF COURSE (clearly) | ||
| 3 | CHARD |
Veg is overcooked, we gather (5)
|
| Homophone (we gather) of “charred” (overcooked) | ||
| 4 | PRECURSOR |
Harbinger of bad CPU errors (9)
|
| Anagram (bad) of CPU ERRORS | ||
| 5 | SHINNED |
Kicked boozer in Slough (7)
|
| INN (boozer) in (in) SHED (slough) | ||
| 6 | SATYR |
Brooded over younger man, highly sexed (5)
|
| SAT (brooded over) + YR (younger) | ||
| 7 | TAROT CARD |
Sailor died after Croat wrecked part of deck (5,4)
|
| TAR (sailor) + anagram (wrecked) of CROAT + D (died) | ||
| 8 | UPSET |
Drink, cycling in France, and topple over (5)
|
| SUP (drink) circularly shifted one position (cycling) + ET (in France and) | ||
| 14 | CALORIFIC |
Energy-dense cola ruined inside of mouth (9)
|
| Anagram (ruined) of COLA in (inside) [o]RIFIC[e] (inside of mouth) | ||
| 16 | SENSATION |
Feeling extremely submissive and small amid people (9)
|
| S[ubmissiv]E + S (small) in (amid) NATION (people) | ||
| 17 | TALKING-TO |
Reprimand Liberal becoming keen on borders (7-2)
|
| L (liberal) in (borders) TAKING TO (becoming keen on) | ||
| 19 | STEALTH |
Furtiveness of the last suspect (7)
|
| Anagram (suspect) of THE LAST | ||
| 22 | CHAOS |
Disorder of men with love for power (5)
|
| CHAPS (men) with the ‘P’ (power) replaced by ‘O’ (love) | ||
| 23 | AUDIO |
Sound of car beginning to overheat (5)
|
| AUDI (car) + O[verheat] | ||
| 24 | DODGE |
The Pentagon for example lies about subterfuge (5)
|
| DOD (the Pentagon, i.e. Department of Defense) + EG (for example) backwards (lies about). Not DOWGE then? 😉 |
A relatively gentle but no less entertaining puzzle from Rosa. DISTASTE and STEALTH both had wonderfully smooth and pithy surfaces. I also enjoyed the whimsy of DAFFODIL and NODDLE, along with amusing images conjured by WOODBURNER and SHINNED. Oh, and CALORIFIC too.
Thanks for a fun puzzle, Rosa, and Pete for your blog.
Agree with Diane, a bit on the easier side. A superb puzzle nonetheless. Favourite was SENSATION, flawless clue.
Great surfaces and wordplay as is always the way with RK. Particularly liked NODDLE, CALORIFIC, TAROT CARD, CHAOS, OFF COURSE, PRECURSOR and …. oh, so many that made me laugh.
Yes, DOD/DOW (eg Pentagon) struck me too. Wonder when this was submitted?
Thanks Pete for the blog and Rosa for such fun.
Enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks Rosa.
Neat blog. Thanks Pete.
Liked DISTASTE, HANGER-ON, CALORIFIC, SENSATION and STEALTH.
As above. In addition, TUTU was a nice observation, I thought DISTASTE was elegant, and I loved HANGER ON
Thanks RK and PM
Nice, especially interest, woodburner, tutu, stealth. Good blog too.
Lovely puzzle as always
Favourites: SEA LORDS, SCAR, DAFFODIL, SHINNED, CHAOS
And my absolute favourite: TAROT CARD
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete Maclean
What a delight this was. The way she produces such natural surfaces is a wonder. UPSET is a great example and letter substitution clues don’t come any better than CHAOS. DAFFODIL was wonderful. Feel like I should have met that before but don’t have any recollection. So many other great clues, as mentioned above. Yes, fairly straightforward, but so very enjoyable.
This puzzle went a long way to assuaging my frustration at my much delayed and interrupted train journey to York for the S and B. I think my fellow passengers must have been aware of my subdued chortles at the witty surfaces along the way.
My print-out was somehow mislaid over the weekend and so I have lost my notes but, scanning the comments above, I think my favourites have all been covered. I do remember admiring particularly the surfaces of INDIGO, OFF COURSE, SATYR and ALEXANDRIA (loved Amazon’s assistant) and the allusiveness of NODDLE but I know there were many more ticks than that.
Many thanks, as ever, to Rosa and to Pete – I’m glad that you appreciate how lucky you are. 😉 )
I didn’t get a chance to do this when in York but Eileen had told me how good it was so it was a pleasure to turn to this this morning. As smooth as butter – as I would expect with this setter. INTEREST, SEA LORDS, NODDLE, DAFFODIL, UPSET and CHAOS were my faves.
Thanks both
Thanks Rosa, it’s always a pleasure. Great clues all around with my favourites being OF LATE, SEA LORDS, OFF COURSE, SENSATION, CHAOS, & AUDIO. NODDLE for brain was new to me (noodle is more familiar) but the wordplay enabled the correct answer. I wish we saw Rosa weekly instead of monthly. Thanks Pete for the blog.
I got DODGE but couldn’t parse it. Now I understand it, and note Pete Maclean’s comments. Fear not, the department in question is still the Department of Defense; only Congress can change its name so all Pres Trump has been able to do is to say that you can (and should) call it the Dept of War instead.
A lovely puzzle. A great way to deal with a fever. Thanks to Rosa and Pete.