Andrew – Page 62 – Fifteensquared

Guardian 25,455 – Orlando

Mon October 17, 2011 at 2:20 pmMon October 17, 2011 at 8:38 am by Andrew

Who better than Orlando to step in on one of the occasional non-Rufus Mondays? I found this a bit tricky in places, but it all came out nicely in the end thanks to … Read more >>

Guardian 25,451 – Brendan

Wed October 12, 2011 at 9:21 am by Andrew

I’m always pleased to see Brendan’s name on a puzzle, but somehow I found this one both harder and (perhaps as a result) a bit more of a slog than usual, though there … Read more >>

Azed 2053 – ‘Wrong Number’

Sun October 9, 2011 at 2:35 pmSun October 9, 2011 at 12:00 am by Andrew

“Wrong Number” is one of the older types of “special”, dating back at least to Ximenes. These puzzles can be hard to get started on, because you have to solve a lot of … Read more >>

Guardian 25,446 – Arachne

Thu October 6, 2011 at 8:54 amThu October 6, 2011 at 12:53 am by Andrew

I rattled through this pretty quickly, but there were some excellent clues that made it very enjoyable, with 9ac being my favourite. Thanks to Arachne for the entertainment. The reference at 11dn (and … Read more >>

Guardian 25,441 – Gordius

Fri September 30, 2011 at 8:47 am by Andrew

A typical Gordius, with some nice ideas but sometimes flawed by inaccurate or clumsy execution, though my opinion may be coloured by having had to solve it (and write this) in rather a … Read more >>

Guardian 25,431 – Rufus

Mon September 19, 2011 at 12:36 am by Andrew

A very quick and easy one from Rufus today, with plenty of cryptic definitions (of varying degrees of crypticity) for those that like them, and the usual smooth surface readings. Only 3dn had … Read more >>

Guardian 25,427 – Paul

Wed September 14, 2011 at 10:16 amWed September 14, 2011 at 9:23 am by Andrew

I found it quite hard to get started on this one, and things didn’t get much easier even after getting a few answers in. There are two themes, based on 9+16ac and on … Read more >>

Guardian 25,422 – Araucaria

Thu September 8, 2011 at 10:26 amThu September 8, 2011 at 8:55 am by Andrew

The instruction “FH has the same meaning throughout” is the sort of thing that is common in Araucaria’s puzzles in the Financial Times ( as Cinephile), but less often seen in the Guardian. … Read more >>

Shirley O’Brien (Auster)

Wed September 7, 2011 at 11:18 amTue September 6, 2011 at 5:23 pm by Andrew

I was sorry to learn from Hugh Stephenson’s latest newsletter that Shirley O’Brien, aka Auster of the Guardian, died on 12 July at the age of 79. There’s an obituary from the Brisbane … Read more >>

Guardian Genius 98 – Crucible

Mon September 5, 2011 at 3:33 pmSun September 4, 2011 at 8:29 am by Andrew

Well, I must say these Genius puzzles vary a lot in difficulty. After two hard ones from Araucaria and Tramp, I found this one from Crucible hardly more difficult than a standard daily … Read more >>

Guardian 25,417 – Araucaria

Fri September 2, 2011 at 2:22 pmFri September 2, 2011 at 1:09 am by Andrew

Our favourite nonagenarian is in literary mode here, with an author and the title of several of his novels. I got the name early on, and that led to several long answers as … Read more >>

Azed 2047 – “Cherchez la Femme”

Sun August 28, 2011 at 9:07 amSun August 28, 2011 at 12:05 am by Andrew

Azed last (and I think first) set a special of this kind in June 2008. Tilsit reported finding it very difficult (and I see from the comments that I did too), and I … Read more >>

Guardian 25,407 – Rufus

Mon August 22, 2011 at 7:56 amMon August 22, 2011 at 6:43 am by Andrew

Standard Rufus fare, rather heavy on the cryptic definitions for my taste (six of them). I don’t think I was quite on the right wavelength for this one today, as it took me … Read more >>

Guardian 25,403 – Pasquale

Wed August 17, 2011 at 8:07 amWed August 17, 2011 at 12:58 am by Andrew

A welcome return for The Don. There’s nothing too difficult here, except that 20dn was a new word for me (though easily guessable), and the phrase at 10dn may be unfamiliar to some, … Read more >>

Guardian 25,398 – Brendan

Thu August 11, 2011 at 8:53 am by Andrew

In a world gone slightly mad, it was a delight (as always) to take some refuge in this puzzle, whose theme is a well-known play and an even better-known speech from it, part … Read more >>