September 2013 – Page 4 – Fifteensquared

Guardian 26,056 / Philistine

Thu September 19, 2013 at 7:46 pmWed September 18, 2013 at 9:22 am by Eileen

I was rather disappointed yesterday to miss blogging Puck’s lovely offering by one day and so was doubly delighted to see Philistine’s name on today’s puzzle. To say that I was not disappointed … Read more >>

Independent 8,402 / Dac

Wed September 18, 2013 at 7:17 am by RatkojaRiku

I was expecting to see Dac occupying his regular Wednesday slot this morning, and there he was with his latest offering. I found this a harder-than-average Dac. Despite having solved a handful of … Read more >>

Inquisitor 1298: A Win for Surrey by Nudd

Wed September 18, 2013 at 12:01 am by Hihoba

Two blogs in a row from me, in return for two from Duncan in June to accommodate our respective holidays. Another tricky one this week, Nudd having come up with another novel way … Read more >>

Financial Times 14,420 by Phssthpok

Tue September 17, 2013 at 10:16 am by Jed

Good variety of devices Across 9 RATEPAYER RATE (grade) PLAYER (musician) minus L (beginner) 10 CHESS (might end with mate) hidden in[narcoti]C HE’S S[ynthesized] 11 GROUNDS dd 12 PATTERN … Read more >>

Guardian 26,055 by Puck

Tue September 17, 2013 at 10:47 amTue September 17, 2013 at 10:13 am by manehi

This took three sittings, even after guessing at the theme from the wordplay of 10ac early in my second attempt. 5ac, 16dn and 21dn were unfamiliar but gettable in the end. Favourites 11ac … Read more >>

Independent 8401 / Alchemi

Tue September 17, 2013 at 7:30 am by duncanshiell

Alchemi seems to be a ‘once a month’ contributor to Independent Daily crosswords at the moment. I really enjoyed this as a challenge to identify all the historical leaders clued … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 722 / Orlando

Mon September 16, 2013 at 12:12 pmMon September 16, 2013 at 11:30 am by Big Dave

Orlando is one of my favourite Quiptic setters and once again he produces a puzzle that is ideal for this slot. Three hidden answers would normally be one too many for a puzzle, … Read more >>

Guardian 26,054 – Chifonie

Mon September 16, 2013 at 10:41 amMon September 16, 2013 at 9:33 am by Andrew

I’ve often thought that Chifonie’s straightforward style would make him a suitable setter for the “easy” Monday slot. Nothing to frighten the horses here, with the possible exception of 10a. … Read more >>

Independent 8400/eimi

Mon September 16, 2013 at 8:00 am by Pierre

Someone was remarking the other week that we hadn’t seen an eimi puzzle for ages. This was a good ‘un, but those sleepwalking into it and expecting the usual easyish Monday morning fare … Read more >>

Private Eye / Cyclops 503 – Psycho diatribe

Mon September 16, 2013 at 12:10 am by beermagnet

Cyclops on usual form with a bundle of profane, scatological and politically cynical clues and answers. This time the grid was enlivened by a couple of clues where some thespian knowledge was required. … Read more >>

Beelzebub 1,227

Sun September 15, 2013 at 8:10 pmSun September 15, 2013 at 7:02 pm by Simon Harding

A tough puzzle even by Beelzebub standards, which has taken me until now to finish, let alone explain. Still, I think I’ve managed to cover everything off. Mentions of Twitter and (perhaps) Lady … Read more >>

Independent on Sunday 1229/Poins

Sun September 15, 2013 at 1:34 pmSun September 15, 2013 at 12:01 am by Pierre

The trickiest IoS I’ve blogged for a bit. Poins has given us a well-constructed, but tough-in-places puzzle this morning. Among the solutions, there was one word I vaguely knew and one that I … Read more >>

AZED No. 2,153 Plain

Sun September 15, 2013 at 6:39 pmSat September 14, 2013 at 10:50 pm by The Trafites

Nick: Typical Azed this week, …with all the usual Azed devices. Anyone under 30 (I guess) would have struggled with 15ac, but once the checked letters are in only one word fits, so can … Read more >>

Everyman No. 3492 (8th September)

Sat September 14, 2013 at 10:45 pm by The Trafites

Lorraine: Good morning. Another lovely solve from Everyman this week. Favourites were, 1, 9, 14, 16, 22 and 23ac, 8, 13 and 10dn. I struggled quite a bit this week until I realised that … Read more >>

Independent 8,393 by Monk (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 07/09/13)

Mon September 16, 2013 at 4:05 amSat September 14, 2013 at 12:32 pm by Simon Harding

This was one of the first Monk puzzles that I’ve come close to solving without recourse to the cheat button, though cleverly having recycled the paper and therefore my notes in the days … Read more >>