Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 15, 2025
It took me a few sessions across the day to finish this one. My favourites are 13 (EMULSION) and 16 (REPTILIAN). Thank you, Leonidas.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BOARDING HOUSE |
Book paddle boat docked by river lodgings (8,5)
|
| B (book) + OAR (paddle) + DINGH[y] (boat docked) + OUSE (river) | ||
| 9 | PRESS-UP |
Exercise ahead faced by some in the media (5-2)
|
| PRESS (some in the media) + UP (ahead) | ||
| 10 | NAIROBI |
Note about atmosphere over by island capital (7)
|
| AIR (atmosphere) + O (over) together in (about) NB (note, i.e. nota bene) + I (island) | ||
| 11 | APTLY |
Half of platypuses moved in a suitable way (5)
|
| Anagram (moved) of [p]LATYP[uses} | ||
| 12 | LARGENESS |
Size of hands clasping adult book one’s left (9)
|
| A (adult) in (clasping) LR (hands, i.e. left and right) + GENES[i]S (book one’s left) | ||
| 13 | EMULSION |
Paint minor entanglement of birds with cat (8)
|
| Minor entanglement of EMUS (birds) and LION (cat) | ||
| 15 | ASHRAM |
Remains close to male perhaps on farm retreat (6)
|
| ASH (remains) + RAM (male perhaps on farm) | ||
| 18 | PAKORA |
Person serving nurses knockout Asian food (6)
|
| KO (knockout) in (nurses) PARA (person serving) | ||
| 19 | LOLLIPOP |
Sweet medication in water withdrawn (8)
|
| PILL (medication) in POOL (water) all backwards (withdrawn) | ||
| 22 | DIRECTIVE |
Terrible setter’s following court order (9)
|
| DIRE (terrible) + CT (court) + I’VE (setter’s) | ||
| 24 | CRIME |
Most of peninsula breaking the law (5)
|
| CRIME[a] (most of peninsula) | ||
| 25 | ACCOUNT |
Report cuckoo regularly caged by family member (7)
|
| C[u]C[k]O[o] in (caged by) AUNT (family member) | ||
| 26 | EROTICA |
Ran back with defrocked vicar’s explicit art? (7)
|
| TORE (ran) backwards (back) + [v]ICA[r] | ||
| 27 | PREPONDERANCE |
Greater number in school near new co-ed assembled (13)
|
| PREP (school) + anagram (assembled) of NEAR N (new) CODE | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BIPLANE |
Flier heads for branch in tree (7)
|
| B[ranch] I[n] + PLANE (tree) | ||
| 2 | AWESTRUCK |
Shocked player gripped by American fight (9)
|
| WEST (player) in A (American) + RUCK (fight) | ||
| 3 | DISHY |
Officer Chuck is easy on the eye (5)
|
| DI (officer, i.e. Detective Inspector) + SHY (chuck) | ||
| 4 | NAPOLEON |
One exiled relative taking car full of ecstasy (8)
|
| E (ecstacy) in POLO (car, i.e. Volkswagen Polo) in (taking) NAN (relative) | ||
| 5 | HUNGRY |
Keen barbarian finally seeing tracks (6)
|
| HUN (barbarian) + [seein]G + RY (tracks) | ||
| 6 | UNIVERSAL |
City’s cleric wearing uniform upset general (9)
|
| LAS (city’s) + REV (cleric) + IN (wearing) + U (uniform) all backwards (upset) | ||
| 7 | ERODE |
Wear down old monarch with verse (5)
|
| ER (old monarch) + ODE (verse) | ||
| 8 | LISSOM |
Flexible part of material is so malleable (6)
|
| Hidden word (part of) | ||
| 14 | STRUCTURE |
Tense after short son upended flower arrangement (9)
|
| S (son) + CURT (short) backwards (upended) + T (tense) + URE (flower( | ||
| 16 | REPTILIAN |
Cold-blooded pair working with intel (9)
|
| Anagram (working) of PAIR INTEL | ||
| 17 | BONEHEAD |
Perfect plot for Spooner and Charlie (8)
|
| Spoonerism of “hone bed” (perfect plot) | ||
| 18 | PEDLAR |
One selling fruit stopped by centre of Dudley (6)
|
| [du]LD[ey] in (stopped by) PEAR (fruit) | ||
| 20 | PEERAGE |
Spy on time to see lords and ladies (7)
|
| PEER (spy) + AGE (time) | ||
| 21 | BISTRO |
Cheap writer embracing street eatery (6)
|
| ST (street) in (embracing) BIRO (cheap writer) | ||
| 23 | RECAP |
Brief summary rate setter countered (5)
|
| PACER (rate setter) backwards (countered) | ||
| 24 | CHOIR |
King replacing last couple of select singers (5)
|
| CHOICE (select) with the last couple of letters (i.e. CE) replaced by R (king, i.e. Rex) |
I found this very approachable, with a lot to like.
I ticked RECAP & DIRECTIVE, I thought LOLLIPOP an interesting observation, and BIPLANE a nice surface
It took a while for me to see AWESTRUCK, never having heard ruck as slang for fight. Otherwise, no issues
Thanks Leonidas and Pete
Yes, and I liked erotica, if you see what I mean
Thanks Leonidas for a top-notch crossword. This took a bit of head- scratching but I was eventually able to solve & parse everything without any problem. Lots of favourites as usual including EMULSION (LOI), PAKORA, DIRECTIVE, EROTICA, BIPLANE, REPTILIAN, and BONEHEAD, the latter a Spoonerism I actually liked. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Very smoothly done throughout. Like Martyn, I found this one quite approachable. BOARDING HOUSE, EMULSION, ACCOUNT, BIPLANE, HUNGRY, REPTILIAN and PEERAGE my faves.
Thanks Leonidas and Pete