Clues and Grid by Sirius
Theme: Palindromes. 50th anniversary of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ reaching number 1 in the UK.
Winner: Michael Crapper of Hampshire
Review of the September 2026 3D crossword
Another Month, Another Puzzle. There are a lot of round puzzles this year. This one is 8 Ring Rings of circumference 16 and diameter of 5-7. The revolutionary nature of the theme leads to longer answers so the setup is a good fit. The famously short month of September gets 47 days here. So Long! At least that’s a welcome sort of inflation.
Many clues are starred to show a relationship to the theme. Two spell out the theme (as MICHAEL PALIN DROMES — I’m sure he’s heard that before), one uses it in its solution, and the rest are on theme. Depending on how quickly you got the theme or some of the theme entries, those might be a distraction (especially LEMON — not sure why that merits a star if 11 doesn’t). But If you got very far at all, you’d see the theme is palindromes and that palindromic Swedish wonder, Rock’n Roll Band ABBA.
Just a Notion: I must interject that I question this as a 50th anniversary for the pop group as I believe “SOS” on the album ABBA is the most palindromic thing and that was 51 years ago, right? (It always reminds me of its bastard-child earworm “Bring Me Edelweiss”.) But I’m all for celebrating ABBA, belatedly or not. No Doubt About It.
The theme entries are a mix of well known palindromic phrases (MADAM I’M ADAM — though I usually put IN EDEN in there) and shorter words, which gives us a wide range of answer lengths from 2 to 21 letters. The vocabulary in general is varied and interesting. I especially like the longer common — but not in crosswords — words like HAND-KNIT and COOLDOWN.
But the theme words are definitely under-clued. Although they are generally familiar phrases to fans of word puzzles, and they’re long enough to have many checks — even more than usual because of their palindromic nature — they would be difficult to discern from wordplay alone.
Other clues are particularly nice. My favourite is probably 23’s T ACT LESS. On another day, 39 might clue ANAGRAM, but the answer here is better. As a fan of snappy clues with clean surfaces, there’re a lot of nice ones here. 14 and 17 are particularly tidy.
The Easter egg is lax in construction as it’s made of randomly placed common letters. It too is underclued, but given the theme, and Joyce, and the name Blazes, we can land on TATTARRATTAT. Not as catchy as “Dancing Queen”, but it’s got a beat.
The pictorial clue shows Porky Pig presenting a plant with its right edge trimmed off in the midst of a commercial for our beloved calendar. I believe this is A (B-BASI(l)) D, f-folks, although the image of the plant is a bit ambiguous to my non-b-b-bot… gardener eye.
When All Is Said and Done, Knowing Me, Knowing You, any One of Us will fall Head Over Heels for this one. With a wide array of thematic material, clever cluing, and some entries we’ll likely not see again, this Puzzle Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough). Thank You For the Crossword!
ab(ba)
Grid solution
Visual clue
The famously stuttering Porky Pig, surrounded by an advertisement for the 3D Crossword Calendar, says “b-basil” with a tiny bit trimmed off the end, shown by the scissors and the dotted line. Altogether that gives:
B-BASI(l) in AD = ABBASID
Background image
The backdrop to this month’s puzzle of Bolton Abbey by Ian Preston (CC BY 2.0) is thematically reflected horizontally and vertically. For the significance of Bolton, see the explanation for Day 19.
Clues and explanations
Thematic solutions are indicated with an asterisk.
| Day | Solution | Clue | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | INMATE | 1di Man of conviction at home with wife (6) | Man of conviction. IN + MATE |
| 2 | YO BANANA BOY* | 2di-2,11di-6,3di→2* Bart’s greeting to minor animated character (spending penny in exotic knotted hanky) left an echo (2,6,3) | YO + BAN(d)ANA + BOY |
| 3 | NIMBI | 4di More than one might spit – new setter’s swinging both ways (5) | More than one might spit. N + I’M + BI |
| 4 | INMAN | 5di John (Humphries), chap at the crease batting for the other side (5) | John (Humphries)…batting for the other side. Are You Being Served’s Mr Humphries IN + MAN ref. John Inman’s character, selling men’s tailoring, also cricket and dated reference to gay status |
| 5 | TOMBOY | 6di Piper’s son in The Waltons could be girl with traditional male attributes (6) | girl with traditional male attributes. TOM + BOY |
| 6 | MADAM I’M ADAM* | 7d,54di→47* Naked gardener with funny tummy introducing himself to First Lady (11, 3 words) | introducing himself to First Lady. Ref Adam (Genesis 3) responsible for Garden of Eden, presumably not having a navel, not having been born of a mother |
| 7 | WAS IT A CAR OR A CAT I SAW* | 8C,13di* Questionable sighting. Jaguar or jaguar perhaps? (19, 9 words) | Cryptic definition |
| 8 | PITAPAT | 9di Sounds like bread prepared in advance in light quick steps (7) | light quick steps. ‘pitta’ + PAT |
| 9 | TOLLER | 10d-6 Bell-ringer making time for big noise in Shoreditch? (6) | Bell-ringer. T + ‘OLLER |
| 10 | BANANAS | 11di Crazy for Fruit and Nuts (7) | Triple definition |
| 11 | OMAHA | 12di Thematic Norwegian group follow Hindu triad meditatively to American beach in France (5) | American beach in France. OM + A-HA Ref. Normandy landings |
| 12 | SOS* | 14di* Plea for help with odd spots (3) | Plea for help. SpOtS The thematic revolutionary work |
| 13 | GOOD-DAY | 15di It could be Friday greeting Crusoe (4-3) | Cryptic definition. Ref. Good Friday in Church calendar and Crusoe’s discovered friend/servant in the novel – the whole might be what Friday would say to Robinson Crusoe |
| 14 | LUDO | 16di Dicey game I play in Pompeii (4) | Double definition. The game and Latin for’ I play’ |
| 15 | EYED | 17di Sounds like setter would if he could! (4) | Cryptic suggestion. “I’d” Sirius is registered blind |
| 16 | HAND-KNIT | 18d Think and form crafty digital network (4-4) | crafty digital network. (THINK AND)* |
| 17 | HADJI | 18di Pilgrim, to be thus entitled, starts heading across desert, journeying introspectively (5) | Pilgrim, to be thus entitled. Acrostic: Heading Across Desert Journeying Introspectively |
| 18 | RAT-A-TAT | 20di Spooner’s goodbye to scoundrel knocking on the door (3-1-3) | knocking on the door. Spoonerism of TATA RAT |
| 19 | MICHAEL PALIN* | 21C,22di,19C* Much-travelled Pet Shop Boy from Notlob? (7,5) | Cryptic definition.
Ref. Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch where Palin asserts Bolton is a palindrome of Ipswich. Cleese corrects to ‘Notlob’. |
| 20 | MA’AM* | 21di* Posh address for ranking lady, a mother looking forward to looking back (4) | Posh address for ranking lady. MA + AM |
| 21 | HATBAND | 23C ‘Bat out of Hell’ in 10 where Steeleye Span put the green willow sprigs (7) | where Steeleye Span put the green willow sprigs. H(ATB*)AND Ref. ‘All around my Hat’, song by Steeleye Span |
| 22 | HAVE A TRY | 23d Give it a go and get five points (4,1,3) | Double definition. A try in Rugby is worth five points |
| 23 | TACTLESS | 24up Insensitive advice for ham player following terrible première (8) | Insensitive. T(errible) + ACT LESS! |
| 24 | ABBASID | 25di Muhammad’s uncle’s basic instincts creating an Islamic dynasty (7) | an Islamic dynasty. ABBAS + ID |
| 25 | LEMON* | 26di* No. No melon is without one of these to be thematic (5) | Insertion of LEMON makes a palindrome: no LEMON no melon |
| 26 | BLEMISH | 27di Language of Flanders spoken out loud by British shows imperfection (7) | imperfection. B + (f)LEMISH |
| 27 | G-MAN | 28di Mang mistaken for FBI agent (1-3) | FBI agent. MANG* |
| 28 | MAD MAX | 29di 10-XAM-10 – dystopian action film in Oz (3,3) | action film in Oz .MAD + XAM* Day 10 = BANANAS |
| 29 | RHINE | 30di Uprising in SE Switzerland by Wagner’s maidens (5) | Double definition. Source of Rhine; Wagner’s Ring Cycle Rhine Maidens |
| 30 | EXPOSING | 31up Former partner sitting with canvasser perhaps revealing all (8) | perhaps revealing all. EX + POSING |
| 31 | AVOIDER | 32di An old queen with nothing to hide, saying “hands off that common woman’s bum!” (7) | Double wordplay: A[VOID]ER; AVOID ’ER! |
| 32 | IN AID OF | 33di Backing charity beginning at home, soft at heart (2,3,2) | Backing charity. IN +AID + sOFt |
| 33 | NEVER ODD OR EVEN* | 36,35C-3,37,38C* Zero property (14, 4 words) | Cryptic definition |
| 34 | DIEU | 39di Farewell in Notre Dame without a word for God (4) | word for God. (a)DIEU |
| 35 | DROMES* | 40di* Hemispherical roofs are about right for large areas and arenas (6) | large areas and arenas. D[R]OMES |
| 36 | DANCING QUEEN | 41d-7,34C-4,36 En que one of 17… lights are low (7,5) | Inverse clue. ENQUE* Ref. song lyrics |
| 37 | DEMO | 41di-4 Half-back slalomed through spirited show of United resistance (4) | spirited show of United resistance. slal(OMED)< |
| 38 | ROMEO | 42di Alfa male? (5) | Cryptic triple definition. Ref. Alfa Romeo car manufacturer; Shakespeare’s Italian leading (alpha) man; Italian boy’s name |
| 39 | REIMAGE | 43di Could it be I’m eager to merge AI for example? (7) | &littish: (I’M EAGER)* → (MERGE AI)* |
| 40 | KO | 44di Amazing when spelt out: merely satisfactory in retrospect (2) | Amazing when spelt out (i.e. knockout). OK< |
| 41 | COOLDOWN | 45up Relaxed feeling towards the bottom is routine after exercise (8) | routine after exercise. COOL + DOWN |
| 42 | AGAIN | 46di Once more makes a profit (5) | Once more. A + GAIN |
| 43 | LOT | 48d Look at joint property deal (3) | property deal . LO + T |
| 44 | A MAN A PLAN A CANAL PANAMA* | 50C,49di* Like Blondie’s “One Way or Another” perhaps Trump and one of his ambitions 20.1.2025? (21, 7 words) | Ref. Trump looking to take over the Panama Canal |
| 45 | AIRLINER | 51d Passenger plane illustrated in Cairo (8) | Passenger plane. AIR is the liner of cAIRo |
| 46 | ALARM | 53di Wake-up call for large concern (5) | Double definition |
| 47 | ASPS | 54di→52 Answer to Antony’s question “What’s your poison”? (4) | Cryptic definition Ref. Mark Antony and Cleopatra |
| Required | ABBA | Revolutionary creators (4) | |
| Required | TATTARRATTAT | One of Joyce’s knockers is calling for attention. What the Blazes! (12) | Palindrome theme Blazes Boylan is the knocker knocking on Molly Bloom’s door with James Joyce’s 12 letter palindrome (one letter longer than ‘detartrated’). |
Solvers’ comments
Wow! What a puzzle!!! Brain teasers, palindromes and some hugely witty clueing – Days 4, 9, 11, 19, 34 and 40 especially. I doubt very much my first entry will be faultless because, as usually, I struggled with some of the parsing, even when I was sure I had the right answer. Hints & Tips awaited in due course before I attempt any correcting. In the meantime, many thanks to Sirius for keeping my ageing brain going with such fun. PS – Yay, don’t need H&Ts after all. [NB]
Stressed was I ere I saw desserts [NI]
Thought I’d met my Waterloo with this one, but hopefully completed it ok [RP]
The photo reflections gave us a suggestion and once we got a couple of asterisked clues, we were pretty sure of the theme. Enjoyed the fact that thematic didn’t necessarily mean the solution was a palindrome. Delighted to see Notion and briefly wondered if there’d be more Python-related content. Some good clueing with some neat misdirecting, including the Easter Egg introduction. A couple of new words, though I doubt I’ll ever find a use for the James Joyce word! Thank you Sirius. [CW]
Admirable setting! Even if the grid and its interaction with the background photo were a bit headache-inducing. [DW]
Loved the palindromes! I’d come across many of them before, but some were new to me. Kudos for incorporating so many palindromes themselves, plus references to them. Thanks to Sirius for a great puzzle. [RS]
WOW! Eric you’ve outdone yourself with this one xx [RE]
Good grief. I know it’s Sirius, and he’s been a little kinder than usual, in that he’s only made it extremely difficult… that was fun (maybe type 2 fun, but fun nonetheless). If I have got this all correct on my first submission I will donate £20 to the relevant charities… Well, colour me surprised; £20 winging their way… [HS]
Phew! Be a miracle if I receive an “all-correct” message for this one! [AJ]
Fearfully tough. I enjoyed the theme but phew, it took a long time to get all the component parts, and I am still not sure if my submission is anywhere near correct. [JA]
This was skilfully designed and a good challenge, but day 33 lacks mathematical accuracy – zero is most definitely even. [D&DRR]
Fun puzzle. I enjoyed the palindromes. [KD]
We love palindromes but this month set the record for number of wrong submission attempts for us. We really struggled with the wordplay on some clues (4, 13, 45). Initially missed the alphabetized clues but proud that we worked our way through it in a couple of sit downs. Not so serious anymore 🙂 [M&SS]
Some trickier clues; a good theme. [AC]
Surely I’m not the only Canadian solver who felt a little *rush* of excitement while solving this brilliant puzzle thinking it *might* be our time to shine… but alas… 🇨🇦 It also took me straight back to a palindromic word puzzle I solved when I was quite young with the answer, “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm”! 🦉🪱 Definitely in my top 3 (so far) in the 2026 calendar! [MS]
Slow going through Eric’s usual convoluted conundra. Easier when the theme became apparent. 44 is one of my favourites. 26 could be Flemish? A number of clues I don’t fully follow. I don’t have the correct letters for the Joycean word, but found it in Ulysses. What blazes? [MJ]
WOW ! My RADAR sensed a complex puzzle and I didn’t know if I had the LEVEL to complete the challenge. DAMMIT, I’M MAD, I thought. Great puzzle, TOP SPOT in my list. [MG]
Simply wonderful. I thought this was going to just be about Abba but slowly the whole Palindrome theme was revealed. Many thanks to Sirius [GW]
Sadly, this one was not my cup of tea. I found it too complicated – very long enumeration, complex grid, loose clueing – I gave up on parsing some and just hope I’ve got it right! Thanks to all for their work though. [JC]
Great fun but not sure they are all correct or fully parsed. Tea tray moments when some of the old favourites were remembered: the man and his plan; the car and the cat. Nice misdirection with John Humphries and Michael Palin. Thanks as ever. Last attempt! [HH]
Enjoyed it much despite not being a fan of ABBA or palindromes that are made up for the sake of it although I did really like the Jaguar/jaguar clue – very good! Only one new-to-me word which makes a change. Thanks to Sirius, nice one. [SC]
A great idea, brilliantly executed. At times, I did not know if I was coming or going. Thank you! [JT]
Some of the clues made me think “You can’t be Sirius” [PB]
Hard to fill in – some really small cells. Palindromes were fun as were Palin and Dromes 🙂 [LB]
I’m sorry to say that there were a lot of unsound clues in this puzzle. There are quite a number where I placed a question-mark next to the answer. [CF]
Quite a challenge! My first 3D crossword where the solutions were not in alphabetical order, and a lack of crossers where I needed them, but it helped that they worked down the grid, torus by torus. I’ve enjoyed it but entering with very little confidence! [SB]
Wow! A lot of witty content, some familiar, some new, but I give hearty thanks for Project Gutenberg which provided a searchable text of Ulysses, I have no idea how I would have begun to solve the Easter egg otherwise. Fingers crossed for several other question marks and not entirely understood clues. [EF]
Sirius at his best! Must have taken ages to construct. Annoyingly I can’t see where I’ve gone wrong! [PD]
Found it hard but fun. I thought it was going to be about Hofstadter’s butterfly. [SG]
27 stumped us for ages, enjoyed Palin/dromes [RS]
I found this tricky – I think not being in alphabetical order makes it harder. I enjoyed the palindromes although there were a couple I’d never heard of. Also liked the pet shop boy. I need to submit earlier because there are always a couple I’m not sure of that aren’t mentioned in the hints and tips. [JC]
A very entertaining puzzle with many unorthodox clues I’m still struggling to fully parse. Familiarity with Weird Al’s song Bob was very helpful for some of the longer entries! [HJ]
I found this difficult, and half of the credit for my solve goes to Weird Al Yankovic’s thematic Bob 🙂 I’m waiting for explanations for more answers than usual, especially the thematic ones. And I’ll have to grumble, lest I lose my pedant card, that zero is even. Thank you to Sirius, and I’m off to listen to Arrival front to back (and then back to front). [CPP]
Sirius’s usual mixture of challenge, humour, exasperation, satisfaction and lots more. My usual amazement at being able to complete the puzzle eventually, after complete bafflement on the first pass! [JB]
Wow that was fun. Steeleye Span and the dead parrot sketch and James Joyce too! Hats off to Sirius! [JS]
Wow, Sirius at his most enigmatic! He really is a genius, and not sure I’ve cracked it this time … [SF]
Found this very difficult/confusing and know it isn’t correct but submitting so at least you know we tried! [DB&MJ]
The link with Abba seems tenuous but we enjoyed reflecting on it. [J&JH]
Wow! [SW]
This was a struggle for us but we did manage to get an answer for every clue, right or wrong who knows? [JM]
Amazingly well put-together with all of the thematic entries woven in there too! [SH]
Wow? [AB]
Ever impressed at the invention! [MH]
Always proud to complete a Sirius, or at least, provide answers to all the clues. And all achieved without rotor, level, radar et al putting in an appearance. [PA]
Extraordinary! A total riot, and completely Day 10 (in the best sense of the term), as usual with Sirius… [MS]
Another of Sirius’s usual masterpieces! Got briefly derailed by “OLE ELO!” but hopefully we are on track now. [AR]
Very tricky but enjoyable [MD]
The lack of alphabetised clues really threw me! But I loved the palindromes – they were so fun. Also loved day 3 and day 15 clues! [HM]
Wow* What a tour-de-force! Brilliant puzzle needing just about all the 30 days of September to complete. Chapeau to Sirius… (I wasn’t sure of the parsing of GOOD-DAY, but took a chance – looking forward to the review for elucidation…) [MC]
Thank you everyone for the comments, and Abby for the review. Two things here sent me searching: Hofstadter’s butterfly – just waiting for Sirius or perhaps etc to compose a grid on that one – and Weird Al (who is not me, by the way), whose song and amazing lyrics can be found easily on YouTube or elsewhere.
Overwhelmingly positive reaction to this remarkable puzzle: there is nothing quite like the work-out you get when solving a Sirius 3D. Congratulations to our Founder and President, who will soon need to make yet another new cabinet to store all his golden discs.