Posted by shuchi on 13th January 2012
It’s pretty unusual for Aardvark to make a Friday appearance and it made for a pleasant change. A gentle, enjoyable crossword with clever misdirections and natural clue surfaces.
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 6th January 2012
The last time I blogged a Redshank crossword, its theme took me a long time to decipher. This was easy enough to work out with 5a being one of the first answers in. This puzzle had one of those themes in which, once you know the trick, you get all the answers from the definition alone without having to unravel the wordplay. That letdown apart, I found this a pleasant puzzle with some cheeky/amusing techniques (e.g. 19a, 27a).
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 30th December 2011
From mathematics to religion to slang, Bradman draws from a breadth of topics to craft his clues today. I’m happy to have this puzzle to blog as my last post of 2011. Happy New Year, everyone.
Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 23rd December 2011
I had a fun time solving this puzzle. The grid has four nearly independent mini-grids and I worked through them starting from the top-left, going anti-clockwise, with 10a as my last answer in. Especially enjoyed 25a, 18d.
Posted in FT | 7 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 16th December 2011
A puzzle of two halves for me. The bottom filled in fast while the top remained blank, till 7a gave me a breakthrough after looking up the French word for ‘queen’.
Posted in FT | 10 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 9th December 2011
“Twelve clues lack a common definition”, said the opening line to the puzzle, but even after I was 50% through I hadn’t figured out what the definition was. Some clues (23a, 26d) did look more definition-less than others, which was some help. 3d, with all its checking letters, gave the first break into the themed answers, thereafter the others came one by one. A challenging and very enjoyable workout.
Posted in FT | 9 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 2nd December 2011
A simple and neat, if somewhat bland, fare today. I liked solving this on the whole but missed having some high points to savour.
Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 18th November 2011
I found a lot to admire in this puzzle and a few clues to struggle with. The bottom-right corner was hard to piece together with 20a and 20d eluding me till the very end. I specially enjoyed the two long Down clues, the deceptive definitions in 10a and 24a, the wordplay in 9a and the usual great clue surfaces from Bradman.
Posted in FT | 8 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 11th November 2011
A gentle puzzle with Falcon’s elegant clues and references to a variety of knowledge domains. Smooth anagrams, natural surfaces, nothing too taxing.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 4th November 2011
I generally have mixed feelings about Hamilton’s puzzles and this was no different. I like the conversational surface of some clues like 21A, 15D, 19D but wasn’t too happy with a few others (details below).
Posted in FT | 18 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 21st October 2011
I enjoyed the light, elegant touch of Falcon in this offering. Straightforward except the bottom-right for me due to a couple of unfamiliar words, which I’m happy to have learnt.
Posted in FT | 7 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 14th October 2011
A simple solve with a variety of clue types. I especially enjoyed 10a and 5d. Flimsy is extremely skilled at crafting smooth and natural clue surfaces. The not-so-nice parts: there is an error in 22a I think and the indicator in 1a seems to be taking a liberty.
Posted in FT | 10 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 23rd September 2011
Many delightful solving moments today. The puzzle opened with the line “Definitions in all across clues have something in common”, which was easy enough to decipher.
Posted in FT | 10 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 16th September 2011
A quick solve today. There were a few touches of wit (1d, 2d) but I am rather underwhelmed by the crossword overall. 1a seems to have an error and a couple of other clues look questionable.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 9th September 2011
Entertaining crossword from Bradman with a “fishy” flavour and some deft anagrams. 1a, 25a, 2d, 4d, 6d amused me especially.
Posted in FT | 7 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 2nd September 2011
Multiple linked clues hinge on 6d and it took me a while to get there. I started with the bottom-right of the grid and had most of the non-linked answers filled in before I cottoned on to the pivotal word and then the rest fell into place.
Posted in FT | 21 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 19th August 2011
Great fun with Mudd’s trademark humour on display in 20a and 14d. I found this a gentle solve without being a walkover, just the right level of difficulty to challenge without giving me anxiety.
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 12th August 2011
Bradman’s characteristically fair puzzle with evocative and amusing clue surfaces. I started with the bottom-right and worked my way upwards, entering somewhat unfamiliar territory in the top-left with a couple of words new to me. I enjoyed the unusual construction of 17a and 26a, and the two India-inspired words in the grid gave me a special kick.
Posted in FT | 4 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 5th August 2011
Most of this felt straightforward and pleasant. There were a few too many proper nouns for my liking but nothing that the wordplay did not help with.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 22nd July 2011
I found this a shade easier than Loroso’s usual to start with but ground to a halt towards the end. 10a, 14a, 20a, 21d took considerable time. The linked clues 17d and 3d would have been tough too if I didn’t have the www a click away. Clever wordplay here and lots to savour, I specially enjoyed 1d and 2d for their disarming deceptiveness.
Posted in FT | 17 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 15th July 2011
The usual excellent puzzle from Bradman with eloquent clue surfaces and some deceptive use of punctuation (25a, 14d).
Posted in FT | 16 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 8th July 2011
Very much enjoyed this puzzle. Nice smooth surfaces, sleek wordplay throughout. I had a little trouble parsing a couple of clues. I entered 25a without fully understanding it and it is only while blogging that the explanation dawned on me. 22d, a new word for me, was my last in.
Posted in FT | 10 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 17th June 2011
Mudd with a geographical bent in this fun crossword. I got the answers in a rush at first but ground to a halt in the bottom-left corner, only to realize that my answer RWANDA for 22d was wrong. Specially enjoyed the creative wordplay at 25a and the chuckle-worthy surface of 31a.
Posted in FT | 12 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 10th June 2011
My first blog for Gurney. I found this very easy to solve, ideal for a beginner as a start into the world of cryptics (but not equally easy to annotate – the explanations for 2d and 29a eluded me for long).
Posted in FT | 8 Comments »
Posted by shuchi on 3rd June 2011
Falcon’s byline holds the promise of an easy, neat puzzle, and this was no exception. An abundance of anagrams, a wide range of references and simple fun.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »