Andrew's avatarAndrew

I started off on Everyman in The Observer, and began solving Azed while I was a student at Cambridge (reading maths) shortly after it started. I do the Guardian puzzle most days and others sporadically. In real life I work as a software developer (still in Cambridge), and for non-crossword recreation play the piano and am involved in amateur theatre.

Guardian 28,535 – Paul

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As has been my experience with many of Paul’s recent puzzles, this one started out feeling quite hard, but yielded satisfyingly in the end. I was helped by guessing the two long acrosses … Read more >>

Guardian 28,528 – Nutmeg

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When I blogged Nutmeg’s previous puzzle a couple of weeks ago I commented that “even her easier clues are disguised enough to make them interesting”, and it was a similar experience here. Again … Read more >>

Guardian 28,514 – Nutmeg

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Another beautifully elegant puzzle from Nutmeg. Not a hard one, but somehow even her easier clues are disguised enough to make them interesting. She sometimes sneaks in a theme or Nina, but I … Read more >>

Guardian 28,509 – Soup

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Soup has appeared several times as a setter of the Genius puzzle, and he did a joint effort (a tribute to Araucaria) with Enigmatist last February, but I’m pretty sure this is his … Read more >>

Guardian 28,507 – Paul

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After blogging a Paul on Friday, I wasn’t expecting another one today; I also wasn’t expecting something that was a long way from a “gentle Monday puzzle”. It was obvious that I wouldn’t … Read more >>

Guardian 28,505 – Paul

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A little easier than Paul puzzles have been of late, I thought, but still with plenty of tricky clues, and some nicely-concealed definitions. Thanks to Paul.   Across 4,23 ROTTEN APPLES Weasels ten … Read more >>

Azed 2561

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Another Azed where I got about half way through very quickly, but then struggled to finish the rest, though fortunately I managed it in the end. There seems to be a mistake in … Read more >>

Guardian 28,498 – Picaroon

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A little bit of respite after two tough puzzles from Boatman and Vlad, but there’s still plenty to chew over and enjoy here. Thanks to Picaroon.   Across 1 GROUNDHOG DAY Film Aussie’s … Read more >>

Guardian 28,491 – Picaroon

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A typically enjoyable puzzle from the ever-reliable Picaroon. I made rather a slow start on this but it all worked out very satisfyingly in the end. Thanks to Picaroon.   Across 1 HUNGER‑STRIKER … Read more >>

Guardian 28,468 – Philistine

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This grid has two rather isolated corners in the NE and SW, but Philistine has helpfully provided several clues that bridge the gap. I finished the puzzle quite quickly, but there were several … Read more >>

Azed 2555

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I usually manage to solve plain Azeds in a single sitting, but with this one I ground to a halt after getting about ten answers in, so I had a break, and when … Read more >>

Guardian 28,461 – Imogen

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For no particularly good reason I made a slow start on this one, but I found myself working from the bottom up, and then everything went (more or less) smoothly. Thanks to Imogen. … Read more >>