Puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 29, 2025
What a recognizably Rosa puzzle!
My favourites are 1a (MY FOOT), 2 (FUNDAMENT), 4 (PREDATES), 7 (THEFT) and 18 (EMPHASIS). Thank you, Ms Klebb.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MY FOOT |
Absolutely not what’s in Rosa Klebb’s shoe (2,4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | PREDATES |
Hunts and kills poor dear pets (8)
|
| Anagram (poor) of DEAR PETS. ‘Predatory’ is, I think, a common word but I do not recall coming across the verbal form before. | ||
| 9 | ARNICA |
Some peculiar Nicaraguan herbal remedy (6)
|
| Hidden word (some) | ||
| 10 | ROUSSEAU |
Open University dons assure worried philosopher (8)
|
| OU (Open University) in (dons) anagram (worried) of ASSURE | ||
| 12 | DIATRIBE |
Reported terrible social division and vituperation (8)
|
| DIA (homophone of “dire”) + TRIBE (social division) | ||
| 13 | ULSTER |
Intermittently unnoticed, unless they’re in Paisley area (6)
|
| U[n]L[e]S[s]T[h]E[y]R[e] with a definition that invokes the Reverend Ian Paisley | ||
| 15 | RUES |
Broadcast bounder’s regrets (4)
|
| Homophone (broadcast) of “roos” (bounder, as in kangaroo) | ||
| 16 | PREVIOUSLY |
Dislocated your pelvis once (10)
|
| Anagram (dislocated) of YOUR PELVIS | ||
| 19 | INTIMIDATE |
Chum clipping flanks of ill- tempered cow (10)
|
| I[ll-tempere]D in (clipping) INTIMATE (chum) | ||
| 20 | STUB |
Withdrawing objections is a bit of a fag (4)
|
| BUTS (objections) backwards (withdrawing) | ||
| 23 | PLUSHY |
Lavish bonus starts to hearten you (6)
|
| PLUS (bonus) + H[earten] Y[ou] | ||
| 25 | CONVERGE |
Meet leader of conspiracy by side of road (8)
|
| CON[spiracy] + VERGE (side of the road) | ||
| 27 | TO BE SURE |
Tense and guarded, regularly following orders no doubt (2,2,4)
|
| T (tense) + OBES (orders) + [g]U[a]R[d]E[d] | ||
| 28 | BRAINS |
Intellectuals at home wearing women’s underwear (6)
|
| IN (at home) in (wearing) BRAS (women’s underwear) | ||
| 29 | SPARSITY |
Dearth of sex, years after fights (8)
|
| SPARS (fights) + IT (sex) + Y (years) | ||
| 30 | BEHELD |
Saw Rachel half-cut in the sack (6)
|
| [Rac]HEL in (in) (BED) (the sack) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MEANDER |
Beginning to despair, constricted by comparatively tight snake (7)
|
| D[espair] in (constricted by) MEANER (comparatively tight) | ||
| 2 | FUNDAMENT |
Jolly lady with extremely neat buttocks (9)
|
| FUN (jolly) + DAME (lady) + N[ea]T | ||
| 3 | OSCARS |
Awards ceremony on Saturday initially held up by traffic (6)
|
| O[n] S[aturday] + CARS (traffic) | ||
| 5 | RIOT |
Orgy over in conservatoire (4)
|
| Reverse (over) hidden word (in) | ||
| 6 | DISALLOW |
Reject and insult everyone that hurt me (8)
|
| DIS (insult) + ALL (everyone) + OW (that hurt me) | ||
| 7 | THEFT |
Taking offence daily (5)
|
| THE FT (daily) with a neatly cryptic definition | ||
| 8 | SQUIRMY |
One’s underneath bulk of male escort, wriggling (7)
|
| SQUIR[e] (bulk of male escort) + MY (one’s) | ||
| 11 | OBTRUDE |
Push out old Benedict, disheartened and humble (7)
|
| O (old) + B[enedic]T + RUDE (humble) | ||
| 14 | OVATION |
Hand vino to a drunk (7)
|
| Anagram (drunk) of VINO TO A | ||
| 17 | SATURNINE |
Moody aunties angrily inhaling Senior Service (9)
|
| RN (Senior Service, that is the Royal Navy) in (inhaling) anagram (angrily) of AUNTIES | ||
| 18 | EMPHASIS |
Stress of priest taken in by false messiah (8)
|
| P (priest) in (taken in by) anagram (false) of MESSIAH | ||
| 19 | IMPETUS |
Motivation of international politician in France and America (7)
|
| I (international) + MP (politician) + ET (in France and) + US (America) | ||
| 21 | BLESSED |
Bloody lucky! (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | AVERSE |
Hostile states finally negotiate (6)
|
| AVERS (states) + [negotiat]E | ||
| 24 | UMBRA |
Part of Italy without single area of shade (5)
|
| UMBR[i]A (part of Italy without ‘I’) | ||
| 26 | DRAT |
Bother doctor over a temperature (4)
|
| DR (doctor) + A (a) + T (temperature) |
Thank you, Pete, for the earlier posting, when the puzzle is fresher in my mind.
Thanks to Rosa and Pete for an excellent puzzle and blog, as always.
In 15 Across, I believe that RUES is a homophone (broadcast) of roue’s (bounder’s).
In 11 Down, I did have a problem initially seeing RUDE as humble, but reconciled it in the end, as in the sense of “simple”.
Thanks Rosa and Pete
15ac: I took the soundalike as “roos” as in kangaroos. Chambers 2016 and Collins 2023 both have roue only with an acute accent on the e and pronounced as two syllables, and I could not find a relevant meaning for ruse in either.
PB@2 I agree about the bounder being a kangaroo, but the homophone must be “roo’s” (“bounder’s”).
Good point, PB@2, and a good solution. I have been guilty of mental mispronunciation, creating a non-existent anglicism, since I have only ever used the word ROUE in crossword puzzles, of course without an accent. Thank you.
My posting the blog early was actually a fumble on my account. I have corrected the “roos” clue. Thank you.
Bagpuss@3: I agree about the apostrophe in “roo’s”.
While I am back in, I will add support to the comment by Larry@1 re 11dn. Collins 2023 p 1739 has “humble or lowly” as meaning 7 of rude adj. It gives the usage example a rude shelter under meaning 5 “roughly or crudely made”, but I think it works for “humble” as well.
I had CONVERGE as C (leader of conspiracy) + ON VERGE (by side of road).
gladys#7: I’m sure you’re right. We would need ‘leaders of conspiracy’ for CON, and then the objection would be vagueness: how many leaders?