Puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 17, 2026
My first-in was 9 (NUMERAL) and I breezed through most of the puzzle. My favourites are 6 (IMPRECISE), 8 (CLARET), 11 (ARRAY) and 17 (WILD BOAR) for its great homophone indicator. My thanks to BC for help with 25 and to Leonidas.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | COCKER SPANIEL |
Chicken pies left near poorly hound (6,7)
|
| Anagram (poorly) of CHICKEN PIES L NEAR | ||
| 9 | NUMERAL |
Figure overturning part of spectacular emu nest (7)
|
| Reverse (overturning) hidden word (part of) | ||
| 10 | TOPSAIL |
What is rigged by rogue pilots controlling area (7)
|
| A (area) in (controlling) anagram (rogue) of PILOTS | ||
| 11 | ARRAY |
Display fish behind another that’s gutted (5)
|
| A[nothe]R + RAY (fish) | ||
| 12 | CARPENTER |
Complaint by key worker in wood (9)
|
| CARP (complaint) + ENTER (key) | ||
| 13 | REMOTEST |
Extra cycling trial possibly most difficult to get to (8)
|
| MORE (extra) shifted (cycling) + TEST (trial) | ||
| 15 | MISHIT |
Quiet one visiting US university getting poor service? (6)
|
| SH (quiet) + I (one) together in (visiting) MIT (US university) with the definition referring to sports | ||
| 18 | JINGLE |
Individual having Juliet covering son’s catchy tune (6)
|
| J (Juliet) + [s]INGLE (individual covering son) | ||
| 19 | DIVERGES |
Parts of boundary patrolled by detectives (8)
|
| VERGE (boundary) in (patrolled by) DIS (detectives) | ||
| 22 | THRESHOLD |
Diamonds on stole HRH lost in entrance (9)
|
| Anagram (lost) of D ON STOLE HRH | ||
| 24 | MAGMA |
Issue with relative’s ejection from Stromboli? (5)
|
| MAG (issue) + MA (relative) | ||
| 25 | AXOLOTL |
Group led by old German skinned large amphibian (7)
|
| [s]AXO[n] (old German skinned) + LOT (group) + L (large) | ||
| 26 | ODDBALL |
Strange and periodically sordid dance (7)
|
| [s]O[r]D[i]D + BALL (dance) | ||
| 27 | TREASURE-CHEST |
A certain child in forest maybe close to secret hoard? (8-5)
|
| A (a) + SURE (certain) + CH (child) in (in) TREES (forest) + [secre]T | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CENTAUR |
Church books right below gold cross (7)
|
| CE (church)+ NT (books) + AU (gold) + R (right) | ||
| 2 | CAMERAMEN |
Arrived with broth for those on a shoot (9)
|
| CAME (arrived) + RAMEN (broth) | ||
| 3 | EARLY |
Almost striking note before the agreed time (5)
|
| [n]EARLY (almost striking note) | ||
| 4 | SOLECISM |
One so upset over Mark’s blunder (8)
|
| SOLE (one) + SIC (so) backwards (upset) + M (mark) | ||
| 5 | ATTIRE |
A lot of room inside of grey clothes (6)
|
| ATTI[c] (a lot of room inside) + [g]RE[y] | ||
| 6 | IMPRECISE |
Setter’s recipes unfortunately not quite accurate (9)
|
| I’M (setter’s) + anagram (unfortunately) of RECIPES | ||
| 7 | LEAPT |
Did spring in meadow ultimately help harvest? (5)
|
| LEA (meadow) + [hel]P [harves]T | ||
| 8 | CLARET |
What can be played without wearing red (6)
|
| CLAR[in]ET (what can be played without “in”) | ||
| 14 | TELESCOPE |
Instrument the French officer covered with shirt (9)
|
| LES (the French) + COP (officer) in (covered with) TEE (shirt) | ||
| 16 | HIGH-GRADE |
Superior free gig heard around centre of Baghdad (4-5)
|
| [bag]H[dad] in (around) anagram (free) of GIG HEARD | ||
| 17 | WILD BOAR |
Tusked creature writer carried when released from trap (4,4)
|
| WILD (writer) + homophone (when release from trap) of “bore” (carried) | ||
| 18 | JETSAM |
Washed up items before noon at bottom of craft (6)
|
| JETS (craft) + AM (before noon) | ||
| 20 | SHALLOT |
Vegetable from pile perhaps taken by drunk (7)
|
| HALL (pile perhaps, referring to a building) in (taken by) SOT (drunk) | ||
| 21 | MOULTS |
Furry animal briefly circles lowermost empty sheds (6)
|
| L[owermos]T in (circles) MOUS[e] (furry animal briefly) | ||
| 23 | ROOST |
Two ducks on banks of Solent following river perch (5)
|
| R (river) + OO (two ducks) + S[olen]T | ||
| 24 | MEDIC |
Main island beginning to charm practitioner (5)
|
| MED (main) + I (island) + C[harm] |
It was a very enjoyable puzzle which, like Pete, I fairly breezed through. I came here to see the parsing of AXOLOTL and ATTIRE.
For 1a though, it is COCK (chicken) with an anagram of pies + L[eft]+ near.
I liked THRESHOLD, SHALLOT (with ‘pile’ cluing ‘hall’) and CENTAUR defined by ‘cross’.
Thanks both.
Thanks Leonidas and Pete
17dn: I had this as sounding like “Wilde bore”.
I had the opposite experience. I found this slow-going.
Liked CENTAUR
I finished with several clues unparsed and I felt a few others were loosely worded, meaning I no choice but to solve first then parse later
Please note that ramen is not broth – it is a type of noodle so 2d is not correct. And for 10, do you not rig the boat and not the sail?
Thanks Leonidas and PM