Financial Times 17,780 FALCON

20 comments on “Financial Times 17,780 FALCON”

1. I found this most enjoyable. Nothing too obscure, so no need for Wikipedia or Google. Thanks for the blog.

2. Uncharacteristically easy for an FT puzzle?
   It must be if I’ve whizzed though it 👅

3. I don’t know know much about the setters behind the pseudonyms (and only do FT if Grunniad and Independent have both succumbed before end of breakfast coffee) but this puzzle raised two questions:

   Is Falcon connected with Vulcan as an almost identical clue for Redcoat was in the Guardian earlier this week?

   And, why is this billed as Falcon’s penultimate puzzle?

   Thanks Turbolegs and Falcon

4. I’m curious about this being “Falcon’s penultimate puzzle”. That seems a bit sad. I liked the positive spin in the definition of MATRIARCH, also the definitions for FREEMASON and LUKEWARM. Thank you Falcon and Turbolegs.

5. Falcon, aka Allan Scott, passed away a month or so ago.

6. Thanks GDU, that IS sad, then.

7. I had hoped for a nicer answer to that question – thanks for explaining Geoff. Sad news.

8. Lovely gentle puzzle. Sorry to hear the news.

9. 21a CONDESCENDING – Couldn’t find CON = “SwindleR“, not even in Chambers,
   but Green’s Dictionary of Slang has ‘con n.1 [abbr.] …7. a confidence man.’

10. It is one of the odd things about the cruciverbal world – setters who have passed will generally have a few puzzles lodged with editors so we do get the poignant pleasure of seeing those works appearing in print even though the authors are no more. This was a typically gentle and elegant Falcon puzzle.

    As for the clue repetition, this does surface quite regularly. Setters don’t collude in that way and very rarely plagiarise: that would defeat the object since a huge part of the fun in setting is coming up with novel treatments. Some words do lend themselves to – in the nicest possible way – obvious treatments – a charade that screams out or a delicious anagram – and it’s not surprising that setters might individually chance upon them. Occasionally they reuse a clue, too. Tweaked or not. And, provided it hasn’t appeared too recently and it’s a good clue, I would not deny them the opportunity so to do. Finally, as has often been pointed out on 225 by the setters themselves, they have little say in when puzzles are published, unless there is a particular event. And puzzles can sit on the editor’s desk for months if not years. So coincidence is normally precisely that – coincidence.

    Thanks for the blog, Turbolegs

11. Falcon’s most recent crossword 17740 said that that was “his penultimate cryptic puzzle”, too. RIP Allan Scott.
    Thanks F&T

12. 225’s announcement in May: RIP – Allan Scott

13. Turbolegs, in 12d don’t you mean “Berkshire town”? A lovely puzzle even though a couple of answers, 21a and 4d went unparsed. Thank you Turbolegs and RIP Falcon.

14. Thanks for the blog, enjoyable from this setter as always but also sad.
    Allan was a brilliant Everyman setter when I was learning.
    I hope penultimate (again) means that one more puzzle has been found and will appear later .

15. A breezy puzzle indeed

    Good on you GDU@1 for knowing everything. I needed Wikopedia to explain a couple of very British references.

    As Roz@14 wrote, enjoyable from Falcon as always and I hope for one more.

    Thanks Turbolegs for the blog

16. Lovely crossword today, nothing too tricky.

17. Perhaps it was breezy or easy and peasy. But I enjoyed it all round and felt it could nearly be a tutorial for those learning given the classic approaches and variety of clue types. I give a sad pause for Falcon and a thank you to Turbolegs.

18. Some say “easy but fun”; I say “easy and fun”. This was a smooth and witty puzzle that reminds us that we will miss Falcon.

    I loved the disfigured North African at 13d HEATHCLIFF and the laugh out loud cryptic definition of 11a EAT LIKE A HORSE.

    Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.

19. Thoroughly enjoyed

    For those of us with the limited time, this and a little tougher is precisely what the FT should be serving up.

20. As a fairly novice solver, and not well versed in British terminology, I always looked forward to Falcon’s puzzles as I could often complete them without too much difficulty. And thanks for the shoutout, Falcon, to my home state! Rest well, my friend.

Comments are closed.