FLIMSY kicks off the week…
A very gentle start to this bank holiday Monday with some nice surfaces.
Thanks FLIMSY!
ACROSS
1. Independent negotiator’s first class, Edward’s told (8)
INFORMED
I (independent) + N[egotiator] (first) + FORM (class) + ED (Edward)
5. Regularly trying to guard attention to detail (6)
RIGOUR
[t]R[y]I[n]G [t]O [g]U[a]R[d] (regularly)
9. As printer’s broken, I left colleagues (8)
PARTNERS
(AS PRINTER)* (*broken), I left
10. Reassurance from match official about position from which golf ball is played (6)
RELIEF
REF (match official) about LIE (position from which golf ball is played)
12. Picked 100 stockings (5)
CHOSE
C (100) + HOSE (stockings)
13. Former lover awfully nice and set for life (9)
EXISTENCE
EX (former lover) + (NICE and SET)* (*awfully)
14. Exact time half of fabric is found in street (6)
STRICT
(T (time) + [fab]RIC (half of)) found in ST (street)
16. Delight European with new song (7)
ENCHANT
E (European) with N (new) + CHANT (song)
19. Takes no notice of Italian gentleman moving spades to the rear (7)
IGNORES
SIGNORE (Italian gentleman, moving S (spades) to the rear)
21. Marine mammal was circling lone ray underwater, primarily (6)
WALRUS
WAS circling L[one] R[ay] U[nderwater] (primarily)
23. Criminal disturbed dog owner by river (9)
WRONGDOER
(DOG OWNER)* (*disturbed) by R (river)
25. Tree, partly sheltered, leans over (5)
ELDER
([shelte]RED LE[ans] (partly))< (<over)
26. Gently moves frames uphill, finally — artists might require these (6)
EASELS
EASES (gently moves) frames [uphil]L (finally)
27. Aloofness from cat I send out (8)
DISTANCE
28. Polish lieutenant protects us and Royal Engineers (6)
LUSTRE
(LT (lieutenant) protects US) and RE (Royal Engineers)
29. Most terrific girls revise at first before each exam (8)
GREATEST
G[irls] R[evise] (at first) before EA (each) + TEST (exam)
DOWN
1. Do something under naughty child’s influence (6)
IMPACT
ACT (do something) under IMP (naughty child)
2. Left behind, fine bananas go rotten (9)
FORGOTTEN
F (fine) + (GO ROTTEN)* (*bananas)
3. Area restricted by Iran, generally (5)
RANGE
[I]RAN GE[nerally] (restricted by)
4. Impassioned article penned by Hemingway? (7)
EARNEST
A (article) penned by ERNEST (Hemingway)
6. The same dialect in Barking (9)
IDENTICAL
7. Working with big cat, first gets scratched head (5)
ONION
ON (working) with [l]ION (big cat, first gets scratched)
8. Indicates Romeo feels bad outside court (8)
REFLECTS
R (Romeo) + (FEELS)* (*bad) outside CT (court)
11. Be very enthralled by story (4)
LIVE
V (very) enthralled by LIE (story)
15. Unorthodox type of soldier supporting current king (9)
IRREGULAR
REGULAR (type of soldier) supporting (I (current) + R (king))
17. Host may be oddly abandoned on a French trip (9)
ABUNDANCE
[m]A[y] B[e] (oddly abandoned) on UN (a, French) + DANCE (trip)
18. Expression of delight after grown-up left fairground ride (3,5)
BIG WHEEL
(WHEE (expression of delight) after BIG (grown-up)) + L (left)
20. Prevent small tummy upset (4)
STOP
S (small) + (POT)< (tummy, <upset)
21. More verbose with one in command (7)
WORDIER
W (with) + (I (one) in ORDER (command))
22. Pressing egg on part of the bible (6)
URGENT
URGE (egg on) + NT (part of the bible)
24. Gets rid of topless competitions for knights (5)
OUSTS
[j]OUSTS (competitions for knights, topless)
25. Unusually cross after eastern craft capsized (5)
EXTRA
(X (cross) after E (eastern)) + (ART)< (craft, <capsized)
Nothing too taxing. Good fun. I didn’t know a golf ball was played from a lie.
Thanks for the blog , a very good example of a friendly puzzle that has good , interesting clues with a lot of variety .
Easy-going, but I found many of the surfaces neatly concocted; WALRUS and BIG WHEEL, two good examples.
Is Flimsy a new setter?
Thanks to him or her, and to Teacow
Thanks Flimsy and Teacow. Indeed a pleasant puzzle. I got stuck at 25dn because I had carelessly put the totally unwarranted ALDER at 25ac instead of the obviously correct ELDER.
10ac: I think the most helpful definition in the dictionaries for the relevant meaning of lie is in ODE 2010 (p 1019), which gives “the position in which a golf ball comes to rest, especially as regards the ease of the next shot”. Golfers speak of “a good lie” or “a bad lie”.
ENB@3: Puzzles by Flimsy in the FT go back at least as far as 2007, but the two most recent were in September 2025 and January 2025 (going backwards).
Lots of fun. Thanks to Flimsy and Teacow
I’m in tune with above comments; while this was a friendly puzzle, the clues were very well constructed with some lovely surfaces, like EARNEST, WRONGDOER and LUSTRE .
As per Pelham’s comment, I’ve seen Flimsy around for some time but quite infrequently which is a shame.
Anyway, I enjoyed this.
Thanks Flimsy and Teacow.
A welcome appearance by Flimsy, with a delightfully relaxing puzzle for a bank holiday – all solved in one pass except for 10ac which we had to revisit, not being familiar with ‘lie’.
Thanks, Flimsy and Teacow.
While Flimsy appears infrequently, a few years back I worked out that he is very regular – appearing either twice or four times each year. This is his second puzzle in 2026, and I hope he gets a late wind and produces another couple before the year is out.
As noted by others, this was far from difficult but the uniformly-excellent surfaces and variety made it a delight. In the end I ticked 11 clues, just over a third. All parsed.
Thanks Flimsy and Teacow
Martyn@8: I wrote comment 4 after checking using the site’s search facility for Flimsy, and I have just scanned through the Category page for FT. The most recent puzzle that I can find for Flimsy was September 2025. What have I missed?
Very enjoyable and, like many others, completed in one pass. Lots of clean and fair clues.
Many thanks to Teacow and Flimsy (more please!)
Wasn’t sure about 9A – colleagues are partners?
Fave was OUSTS.
PB@9 – you are correct. I clearly misread the results of my own search
This means this was actually Flimsy’s first puzzle of the year and, given his record, we can hope for another one before the year is out.
Of course, the past does not predict the future, but it is certainly a cause for hope.
Martyn@11: I am glad to know we are in agreement after all.
9ac: OED 2010 has
p 341 colleague a person with whom one works in a profession or business;
p 1296 partner a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits.
I think there is enough overlap between those two definitions.
Loved this one!
A pleasant, un-taxing solve. 10a “RELIEF”is interesting as apart from the given parsing, a golfer might also ask a referee (in a competition, say) for “Relief” from an awkward “lie”. Thanks @FLIMSY.