Beelzebub

It was a very pleasant surprise to find one more Beelzebub published after we feared that 1,357 may be the last. I learn today from Phi’s blog that this is his 692nd Beelzebub … Read more >>

With around half the grid filled during my first pass through the clues I thought I was going to be in for a quick solve but in the end that was not the … Read more >>

I must admit to being at least as in the dark as you lot about what the future may hold for Beelzebub, but at the time of writing it seems that this may … Read more >>

This was a little unusual for a Beelzebub in that I only needed to read a handful of clues more than once. Instead of my usual initial pass through all the clues, having … Read more >>

A reasonably swift solve this week, with a couple of tricky moments that had me relying on Chambers. 14 across could have been PEBI or PEBA if you hadn’t heard of it (I … Read more >>

With only two entries during my first (quick) pass through the clues I thought this one was going to be tricky. However, I managed to get a foothold in, and complete, the SE … Read more >>

I seemed to be quite well tuned in to Beelzebub’s wavelength this week, getting through this reasonably swiftly. That said, I did slip up by entering AINO incorrectly at 26 down. I felt … Read more >>

A lot of unknown or long-forgotten words for me this week but this did not cause a longer than usual solve due to the accurate wordplay and clear definitions. I was held up … Read more >>

Just the one thing that I can’t quite see, at 33 across. *=anagram, []=dropped, <=reversed. Hover to expand abbreviations. Across 4 VULSELLAE – (L + L) in (LEAVE US)*. 11 ERNANI – AN … Read more >>

I felt there were more ‘entry’ clues than usual in this one and I might have completed it in record time had I not been interrupted by a phone call. Plenty to enjoy … Read more >>

A funny sort of week, at least in my experience. I don’t ever time solving, but I do sometimes take the paper to the pub where I find the imperial pint to be … Read more >>

For me, one aspect of a good clue is when I struggle to solve it and then wonder why afterwards because it seems so obvious and there was no shortage of such occurrences … Read more >>

The closing date for Beelzebub was postponed until today for the obvious festive reasons, hence the delayed blog post. I don’t have a great deal of notes as it’s been a fairly long … Read more >>

Unlike the last Beelzebub that I blogged, I found this one a little tricky (meiosis!) in places, particularly the SE corner which contained my last entries. The crossing 28ac and 24dn caused a … Read more >>