Solving time 30:50 without books, one mistake – or c. 38 mins with confirming look-ups and one correction.

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Solving time: 14:58

Another well-constructed alphabetical jigsaw from Araucaria. When I solved his last one I decided afterwards that I should have tried to fit answers into the grid more quickly, so I did that today, starting with T (1ac). This definitely worked, although failing either to cross off clue numbers or to write down answers I’d solved but couldn’t fit in striaght away proved a false economy. CHEMOSTAT and SCOTIST helpd me up for a couple of minutes at the end.

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I don’t normally blog the FT but as it was the only free newspaper with a decent crossword available on the Heathrow to Newcastle flight yesterday I gave it a go. At the end of a marathon 24 hour journey that saw me travel from Honolulu to the Durham Dales any UK crossword was welcome. As a non-reader of the FT two things struck me. First, who else is Flimsy? Second, why is the FT grid so tiny?

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A good, challenging and satisfying puzzle which like most from Bradman is a little on the tough side for a daily FTer. Challenging enough in fact that I have yet to complete the bottom left corner.

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