The person of 2024 – according to crosswords

Who were crosswording’s stars of 2024?

Neither of the names Starmer nor Badenoch much captured the imagination of setters this year, beyond Dynamo noticing that the prime minister’s surname provides a handy anagram of ARMREST. (Picaroon, in our beginner-friendly quiptic, also noticed that SUPERMARKET is an anagram of STARMER PUKE.)

And 2024 largely gave us a rest from the ubiquity of Trump clues of the late 2010s, though he remains an individual whose surname Oxford defines as “break wind audibly” – even without its first letter we have “(humorous) a person’s buttocks” – so the president presumptive seems likely to return to our grids after reinauguration.

The “most 2024” clue in the Guardian was probably this one, written by Paul for an election special. It’s a snapshot of both the start of the campaign, when a damp prime minister risked being drowned out by a song associated with Labour and its end, when gambling scandals lingered for days.

5d What things can only get for Rishi’s campaign official? (6)
[ double definition ]

The answer: BETTER. “Rishi” has gone back to its previous duty as a word meaning “wise man” or “sage” – and apart from elections and the like, the news that story setters returned to time and again was the Post Office Horizon scandal.

Aspects of the shameful tale popped up in clues from Django (twice), Kcit and an unnamed setter in the Telegraph, Phi in the Independent, Julius, Leonidas, Neo and others in the Financial Times – and made up most of entire puzzles by Tees and Vlad.

Here’s Vlad, whose 8 and 29 gave HORIZON and INQUIRY …

1,14,7ac If then high debt, thief, now it’s different (as often heard at 8,29) (4,3,7,2,9)
[ wordplay: anagram (‘different’) of IFTHENHIGHDEBTTHIEFNOWITS ]
[ definition: effectively a catchphrase of the inquiry ]

… and a sceptical take on the bromide WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT.

“Post Office” in a clue has for so long been a way of nudging the solver to think of a PO in an answer: I hope that soon he or she will be able to do that again without thinking about malpractice. And that the scandal gets a face.

People, then, and first our runner-up, ubiquitous in crosswords as in life. In March, for example, the Everyman series (where I’m the incumbent setter) attempted an evocative description …

14a Powerful scent: a billionaire’s characteristic? (9)
[ wordplay: playful definition ]
[ definition: powerful scent ]

… of MUSKINESS. Besides his newsworthy oligarchical tendencies, Elon Musk appeals to setters not just because of the many definitions of his surname but also because ELON has letters in useful places: will the scandal that brings his White House tsardom to an end, for example, be known as Elongate?

Crosswords’ Person of 2024, though, is in no doubt. Here are just a few examples (answers at the bottom), from Tramp …

8d Taylor Swift cut touring – hard opening in UK? (6,5)
[ wordplay: anagram (‘touring’) of TAYLORSWIFT without final letter (‘cut’) + abbrev. for ‘hard’ ]
[ definition: (coastal) opening in UK ]

… from the semi-fictional setter Ludwig …

24a Star has been here – problem for Starmer’s lot? (5,4)
[ double definition ]

… (in a puzzle which had the same answers as Ludwig’s previous but with different clues); from Everyman again …

5d Adapts Swift etc for the audience (7)
[ wordplay: soundalike (‘for the audience’) of Swift & her namesakes ]
[ definition: adapts ]

… and Brummie:

21d Pop star’s prompt (5)
[ double definition ]

SOLWAY FIRTH, BLACK HOLE, TAILORS, then, and SWIFT. A name rich in possibilities and one of the few remaining celebrities that everyone has actually heard of. Taylor Swift is Crosswords’ Person of the Year for this year. And probably for next year, too. Happy Christmas and see you then?

PS And in our cluing conference for RUNG: Shenguin gets the audacity award for “Stepmother finally got shotgun”; the other runner-up is Newlaplandes’ timely “Setter’s latest Genius leaving regulars wheeling – it’s a step up” and the winner is the splendidly concise “Phoned up and spoke”.

Kludos to AmusingJay. Please leave entries below for our next challenge: how would you clue SWIFT?