Financial Times 12629 by Flimsy

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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?

Anyway, I easily polished off the puzzle on the short flight bar one clue. The puzzle was straightforward with a some very nice clues with good surface readings.

Across
4 STUDENTS — STUD+(SENT)* — good surface reading.
11 NACRE — oystER CAN < — very nice &lit
19 BESTOW — BES(t)+TO+W
21 COMPUTE — PUT in COME — a selection of words that suggests there should be more until the synonyms of deposit and advance are seen.
28 OVERNIGHT — (HER VOTING)* — good anagram tied to the surface well.
30 ROTATE — RO(t)+TATE — it had to end in TATE!
Down
1 BANKNOTE — (BEN+A KNOT)* mdash; excellent surface with reference to the old children’s TV characters of Bill and Ben hiding the definition well.
3 ECHO — H in ECO — ref Umberto Eco who wrote The Name of the Rose among others.
7 NACHO — oN A CHOcolate — I’m not sure whether this is quite enough, “Biting on a chocolate chip”.
9 ?O?P?E — “Crumpet picked up by smooth man with this?(6)”
20 WITHOUT — THOU in WIT — lacking is a subtle definition here
24 EASEL — EASE+L
26 UNDO — (f)UN+DO — ending with anoother excellent surface reading.

5 comments on “Financial Times 12629 by Flimsy”

  1. I struggled with 9D too. I think the answer is TOUPEE, and that “smooth man”=baldie. The “crumpet” reference must make the clue even more impenetrable for non-Brits.

    Can’t help you with Flimsy’s alter egos. But I did enjoy his self-deprecating clue at 14D, “Bear this in mind; Flimsy has no talent (unfortunately) (6,4)”

  2. I did not tackle this crossword, so am relying on the info in the blog (Thanks, Colin, for quoting the clue to 9 down in full) Even with Smiffy’s note, I’m afraid I do not understand that one at all.

  3. Smiffy is suggesting a cryptic definition. A bald man only being able to pick up an attractive woman if wearing a toupee. I see it now but it’s not particularly strong as the smooth man bit doesn’t really fit with the surface of picking up a crumpet (of the bread variety.)

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