Puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 14, 2026
Due to some technical difficulties this blog has been published about 11 hours later than usual.
I started with 5 (SAUDI) and enjoyed the solve. However I was unable to explain the wordplay of one clue, 16 (FATHER TED). Now I have to thank commenters David and Petert for revealing the workings of the clue (which refers to the splendid Irish sitcom of the 1990s).
My favourites are 2 (WATER-SKI), 8 (LEDERHOSEN), 26 (ADIEU) and 28 (ERNE). Thanks to BC for his help.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | USAGE |
American extended period in practice (5)
|
| US (American) + AGE (extended period) | ||
| 10 | BLACK HOLE |
18 dungeon: incredibly attractive place? (5,4)
|
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | PREFECT |
Old Ford ideal’s brought right back (7)
|
| PERFECT (ideal) with the ‘R’ moved one space back | ||
| 12 | NASHE |
Writer plants tree in Geordie region (5)
|
| ASH (tree) in (plants…in) NE (Geordie region, i.e. the North East of England). The definition must refer to Thomas Nashe who was an English Elizabethan playwright, poet and satirist. | ||
| 13 | IRISH |
National flag Hegseth used at first (5)
|
| IRIS (flag) + H[egseth] | ||
| 14 | SUSTAIN |
With coat of brown it’s a knitted bear (7)
|
| Anagram (knitted) of ITS A in (with a coat of) SUN (brown) | ||
| 15 | EARTH |
Scarcity where 500 must leave planet (5)
|
| [d]EARTH (scarcity where ‘D’ must leave) | ||
| 17 | RAIN CATS AND DOGS |
Dancing dad sang with cast iron bucket (4,4,3,4)
|
| Anagram (dancing) of DAD SANG CAST IRON | ||
| 20 | APPAL |
Very quiet in sober group, left in dismay (5)
|
| PP (very quiet) in (in) AA (sober group) + L (left) | ||
| 22 | HAMPTON |
Extraordinary phantom in Henry’s court (7)
|
| Anagram (extraordinary) of PHANTOM | ||
| 24 | CADGE |
Bum finally defeated in MMA enclosure (5)
|
| [defeate]D in (in) CAGE (MMA enclosure). MMA, a new item for me, appears to stand for Mixed Martial Arts. | ||
| 26 | ADIEU |
I’m going to pass on gold rings (5)
|
| DIE (to pass on) in (rings) AU (gold) | ||
| 27 | RETINUE |
Regret keeping key with box in royal train? (7)
|
| E (key) + TIN (box) together in (keeping) RUE (regret) | ||
| 29 | ABOUT-FACE |
Change of attitude in a fight with mug (5-4)
|
| A (a) BOUT (fight) FACE (mug) | ||
| 30 | EATEN |
Devoured in posh college, did you say? (5)
|
| Homophone (did you say) of “eton” (posh college) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PUMP |
Quiz round learner avoids (4)
|
| P[l]UMP (round ‘L’ avoids) | ||
| 2 | WATER-SKI |
With a short, short, short sleep, speed across lake? (5-3)
|
| W (with) + A (a) + TERS[e] (short, short) + KI[p[ (short sleep) | ||
| 4 | OBSTINATE |
Stubborn batting during over bowled, say (9)
|
| O (over) + B (bowled) + IN (batting) in (during) STATE (say) | ||
| 5 | SAUDI |
Small German car for bin Salman? (5)
|
| S (small) + AUDI (German car) | ||
| 6 | SKINHEAD |
Relatives in Hades terribly aggressive sort (8)
|
| KIN (relatives) in (in) anagram (terribly) of HADES | ||
| 7 | MOUSER |
Pest controller one employing doctor? (6)
|
| MO (doctor) + USER (one employing) | ||
| 8 | LEDERHOSEN |
Foreign articles not initially selected for wear abroad (10)
|
| LE DER (foreign articles, French and German respectively) + [c]HOSEN (not initially selected) | ||
| 14 | SIR GALAHAD |
Unusual grail article fish stores for knight (3,7)
|
| Anagram (unusual) of GRAIL + A (article) together in (stores) SHAD (fish) | ||
| 16 | FATHER TED |
Like Coward dropping in, then turning out a comedy (6,3)
|
| F | FA[in]T HE[a]RTED (like coward dropping IN and turning out A) | |
| 18 | CALCUTTA |
Centigrade: actual temperature converted in city once (8)
|
| C (centigrade) + anagram (converted) of ACTUAL T. The city in question is now called Kolkata. | ||
| 19 | OSTINATO |
Some host in a town repeated musical phrase (8)
|
| [h]OST + IN (in) + A (a) + TO (town). You might guess that, in addition to its musical usage, ‘ostinato’ is the Italian word for 5 ‘obstinate’. And you would be right. | ||
| 21 | POISON |
Corrupt Post Office appears to be working (6)
|
| PO (Post Office) + IS ON (appears to be working) | ||
| 23/3 | MOTHER TERESA |
Nobelist refurbished Rome’s theatre (6,6)
|
| Anagram (refurbished) of ROMES THEATRE | ||
| 25 | DREAD |
Romeo coming in late in great fear (5)
|
| R (Romeo) in (coming in) DEAD (late) | ||
| 28 | ERNE |
Master of fishing vessel, we’re told? (4)
|
| Homophone (we’re told) of “urn” (vessel) |
16D parsing I believe is FAINT HEARTED without the IN and the second A.
I looked at that for ages without getting it either. It suddenly occurred to me just now.
‘Father Ted’ (16 down): me neither
FATHER TED is FAINT-HEARTED less in and a. A nice puzzle, especially LEDERHOSEN. David beat me to it.
16 had me baffled too, although it was clear enough what the comedy was. But now it has come to me: FA[in]T HE[a]RTED.
Well, this didn’t take long. Thank you all.
As far as we can remember so long after solving, this was an enjoyable and not too difficult puzzle. And I’m pretty sure we saw the parsing of 16dn, probably just after solving it. NASHE wasn’t quite an unknown, but easily got from the clue.
Thanks, Neo and Pete.
I was defeated by the short ones, PUMP and ERNE. I might have got them in time but was too busy reading Nashe’s latest.
There was also a 19th century journalist called John Noake, but I can’t find a Nelme or a Nyewe.
No problem with FA(in)THE(a)RTED but had to guess NASHE. Took a while to see ERNE. Pleased to think of PUMP which lead to my loi, PREFECT. Rather strangely, when solving DREAD early in the solve, equating ‘late’ and ‘dead’ made me think of the classic “Late Arthur Dent” line from Hitchhikers so I smiled at Ford Prefect appearing at my finishing line.
Thanks Neo for an excellent crossword that had the right amount of challenge for me. I failed to solve PUMP and couldn’t parse FATHER TED but I managed all else with favourites being EARTH, ADIEU, WATER-SKI, POISON, MOTHER TERESA, and ERNE. Thanks Pete for the blog.