Independent 7892/Anax
Posted by John on 31st January 2012
Poor old Anax seems to be stuck with me at the moment and I probably don’t do justice to a beautifully-crafted crossword with some lovely clues.
Posted in Independent | 26 Comments »
Archive for January, 2012
Financial Times 13915 Neo
Posted by scchua on 31st January 2012
Every so often the FT will start its week (Monday being a prize puzzle, it doesn’t count) with a more-than-usually difficult one eg. a Neo. So I thought, on seeing the setter and the presence of a theme, that I could write in the anti-cliche “not a gentle start to the week” 
. But it turned out to be not so ungentle – the theme was something I could readily handle, and the non-thematic solutions weren’t difficult to work out. Thank you Neo for the enjoyment. Definitions are underlined in the clues. The 2 picture sets at the bottom each has an unidentified link with the puzzle.
Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Guardian 25,546 – Araucaria
Posted by Uncle Yap on 31st January 2012
What a privilege to blog another Araucaria puzzle. As expected, it was a display of The Master’s dexterity and artistry with the English language. I quite enjoyed being teased and tantalised …
Posted in Guardian | 36 Comments »
Independent 7891 by Quixote
Posted by nmsindy on 30th January 2012
Fine puzzle in the Quixote style ie at the easier end of the spectrum – solving time 19 mins.
Posted in Independent | 8 Comments »
Guardian 25,545 – Orlando
Posted by manehi on 30th January 2012
A little tougher than usual for a Monday – my favourite clues were 19 and 20.
Posted in Guardian | 28 Comments »
Guardian Quiptic N° 637, by Hectence
Posted by PeterO on 30th January 2012
I think this was nearer to the level of a Guardian Cryptic than most Quiptics; perhaps aimed at a neophyte in the process of sharpening his or her solving skills.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Guardian Quiptic | 6 Comments »
Azed 2068
Posted by bridgesong on 29th January 2012
I found this puzzle distinctly tougher than usual for a plain Azed. I didn’t help myself by my error at 26, especially when it seemed to be confirmed by the crossing letter from 9 down. Two clues, 33 and 23, have completely baffled me, although I think the answers I give must be correct (with only one unchecked letter each, there’s not much room for doubt).
Posted in Azed | 6 Comments »
Independent on Sunday 1144/Glow-worm
Posted by Pierre on 29th January 2012
A decent puzzle from Glow-worm, in the usual accessible Sunday Indy Prize style, albeit there were a good number of clues that I found more difficult, and there’s one I can’t parse. Not too many smiley or ‘aha!’ moments, but perhaps we’re all supposed to have our serious Sunday solving hats on to win that set of dictionaries. I’ve never quite fathomed why dictionaries are prizes for crosswords, since if you’re sending off a prize puzzle then it’s a good bet you’ve got the full set already. Any road up, here’s what I made of it …
Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »
Everyman 3,407/22 January
Posted by Pierre on 29th January 2012
As always, a delightful beginner-level puzzle from Everyman to get brain in gear on Sunday morning. Some particularly smooth surfaces today, and one definition I had never come across before.
Posted in Everyman | 10 Comments »
The Magpie
Posted by Admin on 28th January 2012
The Magpie is a subscription-only crossword magazine that publishes thematic cryptics of the sort found in the Enigmatic Variations, Inquisitor and Listener series. The difficulty level varies from a little above that of a daily cryptic through to the more extreme end of The Listener spectrum. Each month there are five crosswords spanning this range and one numerical puzzle. The Magpie is delivered as a PDF though there is an option for a posted paper copy.
Posted in Announcements | No Comments »
Independent 7,884 by Radian (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 21/01/12)
Posted by Simon Harris on 28th January 2012
No complaints from me about drawing another Radian puzzle to blog. This was a good one, though I seemed to race through many of the clues before becoming completely stumped on the last few, including the unfamiliar words at 4dn and 18dn.
Posted in Independent | 8 Comments »
Enigmatic Variations 1001: Croquet by Salamanca
Posted by Dave Hennings on 28th January 2012
I did a blog for a Salamanca puzzle at Listen With Others back in January 2010. However, this is my first for one of his EVs, which is surprising since he’s had ten or so since we started blogging them here.
Posted in Enigmatic Variations | 2 Comments »
Guardian Prize No 25,538 by Araucaria
Posted by bridgesong on 28th January 2012
An easier than usual prize puzzle this week, I thought, although it features some quite outrageous (but typical) liberties so far as the clueing is concerned. Once I had cracked the theme, which didn’t take long, it was easy to work out all the references to 8 down.
Posted in Guardian | 16 Comments »
Guardian 25,543 / Gordius
Posted by Eileen on 27th January 2012
The usual mixture of some good and some rather weaker clues from Gordius.
Posted in Guardian | 48 Comments »
Independent 7,889 / Klingsor
Posted by RatkojaRiku on 27th January 2012
I haven’t blogged many Klingsor puzzles – just two to date – and don’t really have much a track record against him, so I approached this with a degree of trepidation in a week less blogging time than I would have liked. The first time I remember having struggled to finish, while the second time had proved an easier solve. This time round I relived that very first experience, although it must be said that I have enjoyed and admired all three of these Klingsors puzzles.
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Financial Times no.13,911 by HAMILTON
Posted by Ringo on 26th January 2012
Had a pretty miserable time with this, I’m afraid. The theme was partly, but not entirely, to blame…
Posted in FT | 10 Comments »
Guardian 25,542 – Araucaria
Posted by Andrew on 26th January 2012
There’s a straightforward theme to this puzzle, with a number of clues leading to examples of the word at 12ac. Some of them are probably a bit obscure, though I think I have come across them all before, albeit perhaps only in crosswords.
Posted in Guardian | 26 Comments »
Independent 7888 / Tees
Posted by duncanshiell on 26th January 2012
Another enjoyable crossword from Tees, who also sets as Neo in the Financial Times.
Posted in Independent | 13 Comments »
Financial Times 13,902 – Crux
Posted by Sil van den Hoek on 26th January 2012
Monday Prize Crossword/Jan 16
A fine offering from Crux. The level of difficulty just right ‘for a Monday puzzle’, but, having said that, no hint of routine cluing. A crossword full of elegant surfaces. My PinC’s verdict when I showed her the puzzle after completion: “this setter’s got finesse”. I totally agree!
Posted in FT | No Comments »
Financial Times 13,901 by Bradman
Posted by Pete Maclean on 26th January 2012
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Independent 7887/Crosophile
Posted by John on 25th January 2012
A nice crossword from Crosophile today. He is doing a good job of filling the gap left by Dac on the last Wednesday of every month. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 10 Comments »
Guardian Cryptic Nº 25,541, by Shed
Posted by PeterO on 25th January 2012
One on the easier end of the Guardian spectrum, apart from a couple of perhaps less familiar references.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Guardian | 37 Comments »