Posted by Andrew on 30th November 2008
A moderately difficult Azed, which I somehow found more of a slog and less of a pleasure than usual, though as always it’s scrupulously fair and there are some excellent clues.
Posted in Azed | 8 Comments »
Posted by rightback on 29th November 2008
Solving time: 20:43, two mistakes (23ac and 5dn)
I found this fairly difficult but enjoyable. A number of the answers, including the two I guessed incorrectly (EPISEMON and ERYSIPELAS), had ambiguous wordplays, which I think is fair enough for a Saturday prize puzzle.
Posted in Guardian | 29 Comments »
Posted by Hihoba on 28th November 2008
My apologies for the late arrival of this blog. I have been having problems getting into Google Calendar and so was not aware that it was my turn!
Posted in Inquisitor | No Comments »
Posted by John on 28th November 2008
A nice 4-based crossword from Phi today.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | THE MOONSTONE — them (not so)* one — OK once one has 4 |
| 8 | FLORIDA — (fair old)* — excellent &lit. |
| 9 | V AUNTED — ref. Bertie Wooster’s aunts Agatha and Dahlia |
| 11 | I M(PR)OVE |
| 12 | LE(I)T RIM |
| 13 | EERIE — {w}e((ire)rev.)e{k} |
| 14 | CAFETIERE — (fact eerie)* — ‘brewing centre’ misleads nicely |
| 16 | NARCISSUS — (Sus(si(c)r)an)rev. |
| 19 | CIRCA — (a cric{k})rev. |
| 21 | MINEOLA — (a lemon I)* — had never heard of it |
| 23 | EN(L ACE)D |
| 24 | NAVVIES — the v of navies is doubled |
| 25 | SUPREMO — R.E.M. in (opus)rev. |
| 26 | B(RIGHT ON)ROCK |
| Down | |
| 1 | TROOPER — 0 in (report)rev. |
| 2 | EPITOME — (pie)* to me |
| 3 | OPALESCES — (poses lace)* |
| 4 | NO(V)EL |
| 5 | TO(UR IS)T |
| 6 | NUT T(R)EE — the definition is Hazel, which seemed a bit inadequate until I saw that a hazel is a tree, rather than, as I had thought, a nut |
| 7 | OF MICE AND MEN — (commend a fine)* |
| 10 | DOMBEY AND SON — do (man’s beyond)* |
| 15 | FOSTERS ON |
| 17 | R(UN)OVER |
| 18 | {A}IR(ON)ING |
| 19 | CALYPSO — (plays)* in co |
| 20 | REC{IPE} HECK |
| 22 | ASSET — SS in (tea)rev. |
Posted in Independent | 8 Comments »
Posted by mhl on 28th November 2008
I normally find Chifonie very difficult, so I was pleased to get through about half today’s puzzle very fast – the rest of the clues (mostly in the bottom half) took quite a bit longer though… There are lots of very enjoyable clues here. [Links to the puzzle as: HTML, PDF and Java applet]
Posted in Guardian | 18 Comments »
Posted by neildubya on 28th November 2008
It’s not often we see a preamble in an Indy puzzle, and I’m not really sure we needed one here. If the X in the thematic clues was replaced by 7 then surely that would make it clear what was going on? That’s a minor gripe though, and it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the puzzle, which I thought was first-rate. It’s a shame Benjamin Britten couldn’t have been fitted into the grid as he was actually born on 5/6’s Day. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 4 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 28th November 2008
Smiffy is busy enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday today so you will have to put up with me instead. There was nothing particularly difficult in this offering from Sleuth so I haven’t seen a need to add much explanation to the wordplay but if anyone needs some clarification then please post a comment.
Posted in FT | 14 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 28th November 2008
Overall, a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours on wet Sunday afternoon. I thought some of the normal clues were a little on the easy side but this was compensated for by the thematic ones, as reflected in my split of time spent on the two types (normal 35%, thematic 65%).
Posted in Enigmatic Variations | 2 Comments »
Posted by Eileen on 27th November 2008
I don’t remember seeing a Logodaedalus puzzle for a while, so it’s a welcome return. I found this pretty straightforward, with some nice surfaces and anagrams, although I have a couple of quibbles. I’ve learned two new words today.
Posted in Guardian | 24 Comments »
Posted by neildubya on 27th November 2008
A very good puzzle from Mordred – tricky, but not impenetrably so, and good fun to solve. There’s a Nina too, in the 8th row of the grid, although I’m not sure what significance it has, if any. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Posted by Octofem on 27th November 2008
An intriguing puzzle which proved less daunting than it seemed at first glance. Two short words in the top left hand corner stumped me most. I have included one or two probable answers without explanation in the hopes that the usual stalwarts will provide illumination. (Now provided by Geoff. I amend with thanks.)
Posted in FT | 13 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 27th November 2008
Only 20 puzzleS to go now till Quixote’s 1000th. Always a very accessible puzzle, solving time, 15 mins.
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 27th November 2008
Monday Prize Crossword on 17 November 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
Posted in FT | 1 Comment »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 27th November 2008
FT Weekend Prize Puzzle from November 15
This proved for me to be the easiest Cinephile puzzle I have done in a long time and one of the best.
Posted in FT | 3 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 26th November 2008
Harder than usual for Dac, I thought – two brilliant &lit clues involving anagrams and a great puzzle overall – solving time, 36 mins
Posted in Independent | 3 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 26th November 2008
I felt slightly underwhelmed having finished this one as, overall, I did not think it was up to Cinephile’s usual high standard. The surface in some clues left something to be desired and, as far as I can determine, one definition was incorrect (4d). The ‘cooler’ (prison) theme may have required a degree of compromise in some of the clues but I felt that a few of them seemed ‘forced’. I needed to google to confirm 25d.
Posted in FT | 11 Comments »
Posted by Andrew on 26th November 2008
I blogged what I think was Boatman’s first puzzle a few weeks ago, and here he is again. The consensus then seemed to be that he was a promising addition to the stable, and again in this puzzle there are some very nice clues, including a couple of brilliant “anagram &lit”s, but I also have a few nitpicks.
Posted in Guardian | 29 Comments »
Posted by Ali on 25th November 2008
Great stuff as ever from the V-man. There’s a theme running through this one, with 9/25A kicking things off and then numerous references to the letter “U” in both clues and answers. I found some of this a little trickier than usual, but got there in the end with a few guesses.
Posted in Independent | 18 Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 25th November 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
Posted in Guardian | 24 Comments »
Posted by C G Rishikesh on 25th November 2008
This puzzle is none-too-easy. In the allotted time, four clues are still to go. Can’t put on the thinking cap all the time! I am sure my friends will fill me in.
Posted in FT | 3 Comments »
Posted by Ciaran McNulty on 24th November 2008
Straightforward monday puzzle, lots of typical Rufus cryptic definitions.
Posted in Guardian | 30 Comments »
Posted by NealH on 24th November 2008
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone
This was mostly fairly easy, but had a couple of clues that I struggled to understand even after I’d got the answer. My only criticism would be that there was perhaps a slight overuse of the alternate letters style of clue, which can be quite effective when it crops up occasionally as a surprise tactic but becomes regulation when it appears three times in the same puzzle. Having said that, the idea of having a NINA and making use of it in one of the clues was quite novel. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 7 Comments »
Posted by beermagnet on 24th November 2008
The theme this time is the recent 25A perpetrated by 5A/21 and 15A/8 which 8D and embarrassed the 11A. One of them has jumped ship before he 1D. The other has been suspended in a 14D move by 11A. They were probably 12D. No doubt a few 3Ds chipped in with soundbites.
Posted in Private Eye/Cyclops | 1 Comment »
Posted by neildubya on 23rd November 2008
I’ve received an email from James Cary, a TV and radio comedy writer, who has written a novel about the crossword controversy surrounding the D-Day landings (which was talked about in the recent BBC4 program about cryptics). The hero of the story is modern day professional crossword setter called John Fellowes.
Posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Posted by Colin Blackburn on 23rd November 2008
A relatively easy Azed for me this time around. That means I did it easily in one evening after dinner, I suspect Peter B could have polished this one off within 30 minutes. There was a lot of computing and science in here, which might have helped me a little along the way—1dn for instance came in an instant and opened up half the grid. I did think I had caught out Azed with one erroneous definition but it turned out to be me not reading Chambers well enough. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Azed | 8 Comments »