A lot of cryptic defs I thought this week
Year: 2014
AZED No. 2,207 Plain
A unusual grid from AZED this week.
Enigmatic Variations No.1139 – Remake by Stick Insect
Remakes and original productions? Personally, I’m hoping it’s about ‘Robocop’, although I accept that may be unlikely. This being the EVs, it might just as well be about the creation of the world…
Independent 8716 (Sat 20-Sep 2014) Alchemi
Alchemi gives us a fun, themed puzzle on the easy side for a Prize crossword – if you knew the subject. Happily I did. The theme is Kenneth More (3D) and five of … Read more >>
Guardian Prize Puzzle 26,370 by Paul
Harder than usual for Paul, it took me a long while to get going on this one – until the theme was uncovered. A typically inventive and varied puzzle from Paul, and (mostly) very entertaining.
Financial Times 14,737 by ALBERICH
Such a wonderful puzzle from Alberich. Pity it wasnt my best day in the sun, especially coming a cropper against the SE corner. Amongst several gems of clues, 26ac was vastly ingenious. Thanks to Gaufrid for sprucing up and providing a backbone to an otherwise ordinary blog. There will be several opportunities to improve upon the parsing below so I hope collectively we are in good shape by the end of the day.
Independent 8721 / Phi
A return to normality with Phi on a Friday. There are a couple of composers in the grid today and a few musical references in the clues, but nothing strong … Read more >>
Guardian 26,375 by Paul
Got into this quickly…
Independent 8,720 by Hob
Poor old Hob — this is his third in a row that has fallen to me. Not that I personally really mind, for this was a very pleasant crossword. There are one or two clues about which I’m not sure but no doubt someone will come to the rescue.
Read round the unches from the bottom left in the two ways to the top right to get the Nina. It was published on September 17th 1954, so this is a few days late for the 60th anniversary. There don’t seem to be any references in the answers, but one of the clues mentions Jack, so perhaps there is something I can’t see.
Definitions underlined.
Financial Times no.14,736 by Falcon
A largely unobjectionable offering from Falcon today – and I learned a new word, which is always nice.
Guardian 26,374 – Chifonie
A typically straightforward puzzle from Chifone, with the usual preponderance of charades. Perhaps a couple of slightly obscure answers, but nothing to delay regular solvers for long. … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,727 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword/Sep 15 This is indeed last week’s Prize Crossword but it wasn’t published in the newspaper itself. The FT mistakingly printed off a repeat of IO’s lovingly made tribute to Robin Williams. … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,726 by Dogberry
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 13, 2014 The top-left of this puzzle was tricky but on the whole it was a jolly good one with some nifty clues, especially 8a … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,735 by IO
Another themed puzzle from Io, trickier than the one I blogged a couple of weeks ago. There are still some explanations that I am not sure about so any help in getting to the bottom of these would be appreciated.