An entertaining tussle with Flimsy today, thanks to whom for setting an intuitive and approachable grid. No favorite clue here as there were several smooth surfaces. My LOI was 25ac, not because I solved it last, but because I couldnt do any better than parsing it as cryptic definition for the player part of the clue. Perhaps this could be improved upon.
Turbolegs
Financial Times 14,725 by BRADMAN
A gentle offering this from Bradman – my best friend on a Friday. Relatively straightforward with very little left to chance. I needed help parsing 16ac and 18 ac but other that everything else went in pretty quickly. Thanks Bradman, for an apt conclusion to this week of relatively easy FT grids.
Financial Times 14,719 by REDSHANK
This was a puzzle in 3 parts. The 1st part was solving the clues that seemed ready for parsing. The 2nd was correcting for the wrong numbering in the second half of both the across and down clues. This had to be done after removing 2 black squares which shouldn’t have been, along 2dn and 7dn. The 3rd part was trying to put 1 and 2 together. Barring these minor inconveniences, I really had a fun time attacking this grid, so thanks to Redshank (yet again!) for making this a meaty challenge.
Financial Times 14,713 by PETO
What an interesting challenge from a setter I havent had the pleasure of blogging before! Thanks Peto for a terrific and refreshing challenge. Some of the parsings took longer than the time it took to solve the clue based on cross-refs. I was left, at my wit’s end on 26 ac which I couldnt quite figure out.
Financial Times 14,707 by BRADMAN
An excellent challenge from Bradman this Friday with just the right mix of mind-benders and quick wins. I did have to re-calibrate my estimate on the finishing time during the course of the solve. This was largely due to the fact that the 5 anagrams in the crossword got me going quickly and after that progress became a lot slower=. I still needed help with parsing 24ac and 3d. My pick of the lot was 10ac.
Overall, a delectable treat from a trusted setter.
FF: 8, DD: 7
Financial Times 14,701 by GAFF
A sharp intake of breath preceded the whitening of the knuckles, as I gripped the arms of my chair in sheer trepidation at seeing the name of the setter today. And so it happened, the tussle with my nemesis Gaff. And at the end of it all, I can (barely) stand up and aver that I fought like a man, relentless in the face of a barrage of one inscrutable clue after another.
Financial Times 14,695 by GOLIATH
An excellent puzzle from Goliath to get my Friday started. Unfortunately for me, it wasnt easy going and so the solving process (in brief spurts) extended well into the afternoon. This was a nice meaty challenge and now gives me a Turkey with regards to quality challenges over the past three weeks.
Financial Times 14,689 / Redshank
This was an interesting challenge from Redshank and I am quite happy to get the chance to blog this puzzle. With quite a fair number of anagrams, progress was steady for most part. … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,683 by ALBERICH
A very tough puzzle to round off, what has been a very humbling week for me. Alberich has dished out a true challenge this Friday, thanks to whom for a very intensive workout.
Financial Times 14,677 by WANDERER
I found this to be a tough nut to crack from Wanderer. Progress was slow and steady .. and I still couldnt nail a couple of clues in the end without some help.
Financial Times 14,671 by BRADMAN
Once again, I find myself blogging for a Bradman grid, which was a very enjoyable romp. I thought he had upped the ante slightly with this one, relative to his recent puzzles. Although 5d didnt find any favors with me, it was compensated for a neat clue in 25ac. Thanks Bradman.
Financial Times 14,665 by GOLIATH
A very entertaining challenge from GOLIATH which required several sittings to fully crack the grid. Frankly, this was a very educational outing where I learnt several new words/phrases (e.g. 16,17ac ; 15d; part of 1d) after having deduced the solution from successfully breaking down the clue. Googling helped with 15d.
Thoroughly enjoyed this !! Thanks Goliath for getting my Friday off to a great start.
Financial Times 14,659 by FALCON
I cant say I enjoyed this one much – Falcon probably didnt feel like taxing any of us and made it quite easy. Like several grids I have covered before, this one would be just nice for newbies on the FT get started.
Financial Times 14,653 by BRADMAN
A good tussle with Bradman’s serving this morning – Thanks Bradman for a good workout. I didnt find it easy going entirely and had to complete the puzzle in small bursts. I found the NW and the SE corners to be more taxing, relatively.
For a couple of clues, I got to the solution first but didnt crack the parsing (17ac, 16d).
Financial Times 14,647 by MAGWITCH
Magwitch gives us a nice entertaining puzzle, peppered with amicable clues mostly and the customary couple of mindbenders that prevents the grid from being a walk in the park. Thanks Magwitch, for a fitting end to what has been generally been a good week for FT solvers. I am sure a couple of parsings could be improved so look forward to inputs from folks out there.