Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 22, 2025
This was a tough one for me, but certainly worth it with two stand-out clues: 6 (ALOOF) and 11 (STEFFI GRAF). I thank BC for help on a couple of clues here.
An interesting bit of trivia: Steffi Graf has appeared in ten crosswords blogged here on FifteenSquared (including this one).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | LEGACY |
Money left in account protected by PIN, quantity unknown (6)
|
| LEG (pin) + AC (account) + Y (quantity unknown) | ||
| 4 | WALLAH |
Western God someone associated with particular duties (6)
|
| W (western) + ALLAH (God) | ||
| 8 | CABINET |
Ministers I take home by taxi (7)
|
| CAB (taxi) + I (I) + NET (take home) | ||
| 9 | HOW COME |
Old toilet in place for what reason? (3,4)
|
| O (old) + WC (toilet) in (in) HOME (place) | ||
| 11 | STEFFI GRAF |
European female — among talents, returning service (6,4)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | EXAM |
Mark on one you’re finished with, A? (4)
|
| EX (one you’re finished with) + A (one) + M (mark). I am unsure of the definition here. Is it intended that the whole clue be definition? Or, if it is “A?”, then how does that work? | ||
| 13 | CARET |
Inserting symbol takes concentration and time (5)
|
| CARE (concentration) + T (time) | ||
| 14 | SUBFLOOR |
This might once have been swept under the carpet (8)
|
| Cryptic definition. I do not recall coming across ‘subfloor’ before. It refers to a rough floor that forms the base for a finished one. | ||
| 16 | TRIPTYCH |
Chirpy tweet on vacation disturbed artist’s work (8)
|
| Anagram (disturbed) of CHIRPY T[wee]T | ||
| 18 | AISLE |
Beer bottles can be found in space between seats (5)
|
| IS (can be found in) ALE (beer) | ||
| 20 | WEAR |
Sport reported at which location? (4)
|
| Homophone (reported) of “where”:(at which location) | ||
| 21 | BOOKKEEPER |
Accountant agreed to accept fine in alarm (10)
|
| OK (fine) (to accept) OK (agreed) together in BEEPER (alarm) | ||
| 23 | STRUDEL |
Fruity sweet rustled at play (7)
|
| Anagram (at play) of RUSTLED. I do enjoy a good cherry strudel. | ||
| 24 | BALLAST |
Sailor’s steadier dance almost at the end (7)
|
| BALL (dance) + LAST (almost at the end) | ||
| 25 | ROBUST |
Strong pants worn by coach (6)
|
| BUS (coach) in (worn by) ROT (pants) | ||
| 26 | SKIDDY |
Small child getting you on the slide? (6)
|
| S (small) + KIDDY (child) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | LEANT |
Permit covers article listed (5)
|
| AN (article) in (covers) LET (permit) | ||
| 2 | GO IN FOR |
Roofing unusual to choose as career (2,2,3)
|
| Anagram (unusual) of ROOFING | ||
| 3 | CHEMISTRY |
Dress shortened to test sexual attraction (9)
|
| CHEMIS[e] (dress shortened) + TRY (to test) | ||
| 5 | ALOOF |
Cool potato with spicy food following (5)
|
| ALOO (potato with spicy food) + F (following). I love a good Aloo Gobi. | ||
| 6 | LACTEAL |
Initially little anxiety about bluey-green colour of milk (7)
|
| L[ittle] A[nxiety] + C (about) + TEAL (bluey-green colour) | ||
| 7 | HOME ALONE |
Comedy in Soho, meal on expenses (4,5)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 10 | PRESCHOOL |
Cher’s swimming in lagoon, perhaps too young to be institutionalised (9)
|
| Anagram (swimming) of CHERS in POOL (lagoon) | ||
| 13 | CARPENTER |
Chips go in with fish on top (9)
|
| CARP (fish) + ENTER (go in) | ||
| 15 | BLACKJACK |
According to Spooner, School of Rock star is twenty-one (9)
|
| Spoonerism of JACK BLACK (School of Rock star) | ||
| 17 | PERTURB |
A bath Romeo fills to get in a lather (7)
|
| PER (a) + R (romeo) in (fills) TUB (bath) | ||
| 19 | SMELLED |
Guy left on board 26 vehicle honked (7). ‘Honk’ is British and Australian slang for smell.
|
| ME (Guy) + L (left) in (on board) SLED (26 vehicle) | ||
| 21 | BLESS |
Sanction roubles, suggest banks (5)
|
| Hidden word (banks) | ||
| 22 | ESSAY |
Try reading out the starts of several articles (5)
|
| As one would speak (reading out) the letters S and A (the starts of several articles) |
STEFFI GRAF: &lit, E (European) + F (female) inside (among) GIFTS (talents) reversed (returning) + RAF ([military] service)
I think EXAM is &lit, too.
BAL[L] (dance) minus last letter (almost) + LAST (at the end)
Not an easy puzzle.
Thanks Guy and Pete
11ac has wordplay E + F in GIFTS (talents) reversed + RAF (service), as noted by Cineraria @1
24ac is BAL (dance almost) + LAST (at the end).
This was tough but for once I got the answer in a clue where “a” = “per” – PERTURB
HONKED and STRUDEL were my picks in a challenging but enjoyable puzzle this weekend. My experience with PERTURB shoes Fiona’s.
Thanks to Guy and Pete (this blog must have given you the munchies 😀)
I meant echoes not shoes!
Thanks Guy. Unlike others I found this on the easier end of Guy’s spectrum. Great clues as always with my favourites being LEGACY, STEFFI GRAF (fantastic clue), AISLE, HOME ALONE, PRESCHOOL (any clue with Cher & ‘too young’ in it deserves a tick), and CARPENTER. Thanks Pete for the blog.
So many charades, so little variety and so many meaningless surfaces. I found it quite challenging and, unlike others so far, I found it very boring.
I ticked HOME ALONE only because it was not another charade and the surface was OK. Like Fiona@3, I was also happy to get a=per!
A couple of duds in a row from the FT in my view.
Thanks Guy and Pete
Looking back I see I’ve got a reveal dot on the e of exam, which led to the unusual lecteal and thence to finishing the NE.
And no, not sure how the exam clue works. Ta for the challenge Guy and Pete.
STEFFI GRAF my top fave.
EXAM
A minor correction to the blog:
A is from the surface (not ‘one’)
The cryptic reading: M on (EX with A)
I also feel it’s an &lit, but with some diff.
As opposed to being a CAD, it reads like an extended def
with the ‘one’ standing for EXAM.
Thanks Guy and Pete.
Yes good puzzle, with Steffi standing out among a fine crop.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one with Steffi Graf my standout clue. Took a couple of visits but got there, with my LOI Ballast.