Posted by Uncle Yap on March 16th, 2010
Paul certainly knows how to make a theme exciting, right from 1Across to 22Down. In between, he sprinkled his wit and humour liberally. Challenging in parts but mostly very very entertaining. Bravo, Paul, another good day at the office.
Posted in Guardian | 3 Comments »
Posted by kenmac on March 15th, 2010
Once a year, on average, two like-minded friends (I and
A) and myself (K) meet for an
IKA weekend of crosswords and beer. This year we chose to meet
in my home town, Edinburgh and, coincidentally, it was my week to blog the
Inquisitor. Allowing for diversions, like “whose round is it?” and long,
rambling anecdotes, we polished of IQ1116 in just over an hour. Perhaps
I and A will find time to add their comments
later.
Posted in Inquisitor | 1 Comment »
Posted by Eileen on March 15th, 2010
The usual Rufus combination of cryptic [not too many] and double definitions and elegant and witty surfaces.
Posted in Guardian | 26 Comments »
Posted by NealH on March 15th, 2010
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »
Posted by beermagnet on March 15th, 2010
No real problem with this lot – except 18A – for bringing back unpleasant memories, thus the blog title.
You know there are some similarities between her and me: School reports show “hard work and commitment but not brilliance” (check), Studied chemistry (check), Tried to get into Somerville at Oxford (failed in my case – they used to grease the spikes in those days y’know), and some similarities I’m obliged not to reveal. Just what would’ve happened if she had discovered beer and I had discovered right-wing megalomania and married a millionaire. Hmmm. I can feel an alternate-history SF story coming on …
Anyway back to the crossword. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Private Eye/Cyclops | No Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on March 14th, 2010
Blimey this was a tough one. That, plus most of the week spent at a conference means this week’s posting is a little late.
Posted in Beelzebub | 1 Comment »
Posted by John on March 14th, 2010
The usual very satisfactory offering from Azed. I have learned not to look too far for wonderful surfaces, but to admire the faultless construction of his clues. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Azed | 9 Comments »
Posted by Arthur on March 14th, 2010
Well, I for one think this one was a bit more challenging than the last few that I’ve blogged. A couple of nice cryptic definitions, and some slightly more obscure words both as solutions and part-solutions. My only complaint would be the level of geographic knowledge required with various place names and a currency (and even a baseball team) which, as much as you can use the wordplay and go “it really must be this”, if you don’t know, the only thing to do is look it up. But generally this was very nicely put together. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Everyman | 7 Comments »
Posted by Eileen on March 13th, 2010
I’m a last-minute substitute for rightback, who, unfortunately, has internet problems, so, not having expected to blog this, I’m trying to remember my thought processes when I solved it a week ago and the blog may well be less full than you would expect. I do know that the two long answers came first, almost solely from the enumeration [with one wee hiccup, see below]. They didn’t prove too much of a spoiler, though: there was lots still to go at and enjoy. Apologies for the lack of the customary Saturday title and theme music: suggestions welcome! [Slightly off-topic - but related - I lay low on yesterday's Araucaria, which I thought was one of the most outrageous I have ever seen and, I think, stretched the limits of even his most ardent champions! I feel on more stable ground here and am delighted to be able to blog my favourite compiler's puzzle!]
Posted in Guardian | 30 Comments »
Posted by twencelas on March 13th, 2010
Quite a complex preamble this week – additional letters in the wordplay of the across clues, additional words in the down clues and ten unclued entries, seven of which required modification. So what about the complexity? must admit, the title sounded strangely familiar. An easy first blog or a baptism of fire?
Posted in Enigmatic Variations | 2 Comments »
Posted by manehi on March 12th, 2010
A struggle for me today, even for an Araucaria. Managed to fill in the grid thanks to checkers but still can’t figure out some of the clues. Favourite clues were 23ac, 7dn.
Posted in Guardian | 48 Comments »
Posted by petebiddlecombe on March 12th, 2010
This was a fairly easy puzzle for Nimrod, solved in 12 minutes. My first instinct on sight of the grid, with two black corners and big T’s in the middle, was “there must be a theme” – Nimrod was obviously not playing his other game of trying to set a record for the lowest number of answers and/or black squares.
Posted in Independent | 9 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on March 12th, 2010
Straightforward solve today with most answers entered on first pass through the clues. I had to look up a couple of wordplay components that involved people’s names, but this didn’t pose much difficulty.
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by John on March 12th, 2010
An unusually large number of words that I hadn’t really heard of in the usual nice Phi offering. The pairs of four-letter answers at top R and bottom L suggest something, but I can’t see anything. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Posted by petebiddlecombe on March 12th, 2010
I started quite slowly with this puzzle, but that turned out to be a good thing…
Posted in Inquisitor | 8 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on March 11th, 2010
This was very good indeed.
nmsindy has admitted to weaknesses esp films but is prepared to admit to a strength, football, which was v helpful here. Solving time, 50 mins.
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on March 11th, 2010
I covered Alberich’s first FT puzzle eighteen months ago and my opening comment was “I don’t think I have ever completed an FT quite so quickly, the answers just seemed to enter themselves”. How things have changed since then! This one took me twice as long as usual and involved a fair degree of head-scratching.
Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Posted by Handel on March 11th, 2010
Posted in Independent | 4 Comments »
Posted by mhl on March 11th, 2010
A rather rushed post, I’m afraid, so apologies for errors and omissions, which I probably won’t be able to fix until much later. Overall, an enjoyable puzzle, with the odd bit of tough vocabulary. (After seeing “Dude” and “tenpin” bowler in the surface readings, I was hoping for a Big Lebowski theme, but I can’t spot any other references…)
Posted in Guardian | 26 Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on March 11th, 2010
Monday Prize Crossword from 1 March 2010
A not-too-difficult week-opening puzzle from Crux … the Monday FT series is eminently suitable for beginners to cryptic crosswords to cut their teeth on. On my part, I shall continue to make my blogs simple and comprehensive to guide the newbies.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on March 11th, 2010
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 27
The nominees for best charade are 17A, 18A, 21A and 8D. And the winner is 8D! For best anagram or anagram-combination, the nominees are 9A, 14A and 3D. And the award goes to 9A. Finally, 9A, 8D and 27D are nominated for best overall clue. And the gong goes to 27D!!!
Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Posted by Eileen on March 10th, 2010
I haven’t much to say about this puzzle. There is nothing contentious, I think, but, for me, no ‘ahas’ or smiles, either, and too many charades, my least favourite type of clue.
Posted in Guardian | 38 Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on March 10th, 2010
A mixed one for me, having raced through all but three clues in mere minutes, to find myself completely stumped on 10, 25 and 28. I’ll blame the fact that today’s post has necessarily been prepared in quite a hasty fashion. As a curious side-note, it seems my blogging days have so far coincided with Independent cryptic puzzle numbers 7,000, 7,100, 7,200 and now 7,300.
Posted in Independent | 9 Comments »
Posted by smiffy on March 10th, 2010
A pretty challenging puzzle, with a rather curiously chosen mini-theme. My own personal recommendation from the menu would be a No. 5, a No. 11 and a No. 25.
Posted in FT | 3 Comments »
Posted by Agentzero on March 9th, 2010
I breezed through three-quarters of this puzzle in five or ten minutes, then got stuck for a while on the last four or five clues. I am still not sure of 25 down. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
