British Summer Time by Artix

Puzzle explanation

The circled letters in the grid formed We’ll Meet Again (each word jumbled in a distinct group). It was famously sung by Dame Vera Lynn; DAME was the unclued answer entered at 9ac + 11ac and VERA was an anagram of the answer ARVE at 21dn + 16dn. The lyrics “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when” could be seen as relating to the split entry method. The continuation “But I know we’ll meet again SOME SUNNY DAY” provided the “when” to be written below the grid. The puzzle was published on the weekend when daylight saving began in the United Kingdom, ie British Summer Time.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
3 CARLITO (I + ACTOR + (A)L) *; ref. Carlito’s Way, Al Pacino
6 MASKING ASKING after M
7 SO-SO OS < + OS <
8 EARPLUG P in (EAR + LUG)
9 ROTAL (R + L) around (t)OTA(l)
10 LEEAR LEE + A + R
11 ENAMEL NAME in EL
13 SHAMAN SHAMA + (diag)N(osed)
MALONEY ALONE in MY
15 PRE-ENGAGE P + (g)REENGAGE(s)
16 VALKYRIE VAL K + IE after YR; ref. Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer
17 PALI (Ne)PAL I(ndia)
19 RAPTOR RAP + TO + R (most frequent letter in FERRARI)
20 WEAN (A NEW) *
GARDEN 2 meanings
23 ROOTLET ROLE around TO < + T
24 OVERSPREAD OVE(n) + DRAPERS *
25 DEEMED DEE + MED
RECOUP REC + OUP
26 NEWT NEWTON − ON
Down
1 PERSONALIST (A SLIP + (peculia)R + NOTES) *
2 SORN 2 meanings
LONGA ALONG with letters cycled
3 CRISPIN CRISP + PIN merged (ie, Ps overlapping)
TAEL TAL around E
4 ROSIER (c)ROSIER
TIKA homophone of TIKKA
5 GERONIMO (ENGINE-ROOM − EN) *
PIGALLE LE after (PI + GAL)
12 COAXIAL (A + XI) in COAL
14 GIER-EAGLES ((e)L(e)V(e)N + GIER-EAGLES) * = (VILLAGE GREENS) *
16 VALETS (VALE + S) around T
18 GESTATES GESS(o) around TATE
SETTLE SEATTLE − A
21 ARVE A(lps) + R + V + (Rhôn)E
LOWN (counci)L (t)O (scre)W (Glaswegia)N
22 WAIL homophone of WHALE
DIRAM MADRID * − D
Back to 2026 menu