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 28,378 – Tramp

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Quite a tricky one from Tramp today, with some devious constructions. There’s a bit of a Christmassy feel to it, with HOLLY, TREES, DASHER, and perhaps CHINESE LANTERNS, though probably not enough to … Read more >>

Guardian 28,364 – Nutmeg

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I got through about half of this one very quickly, then slowed down somewhat for the rest. An enjoyable and high-quality puzzle as we’ve come to expect from Nutmeg, so thanks to her. … Read more >>

Guardian 28,357 – Pan

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Not as easy as Pan can be – certainly harder than her Prize puzzle a couple of weeks ago – but generally straightforward and Monday-friendly. Thanks to Pan   Across 4. DOCTOR Tamper … Read more >>

Azed 2537

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A minor delay with the late arrival of the PDF on the Guardian website, and then this turned out to be quite a tricky puzzle, with quite a lot of unfamiliar words. As … Read more >>

Guardian 28,355 – Paul

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Quite a tough one from Paul today, with some devious constructions that had me worried about whether I’d be able to explain everything. A couple of minor quibbles, but otherwise very enjoyable – … Read more >>

Guardian 28,341 – Philistine

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I found this quite easy by Philistine’s standards, though good fun as always. Thanks to Philistine. Stop press: just noticed a theme of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, with the titles of NORTHERN … Read more >>

Guardian 28,334 – Picaroon

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A clever and highly enjoyable puzzle from Picaroon based around 12d, with varying interpretations of the phrase. The gateway clue is quite an easy one, but it was still fun to work out … Read more >>

Guardian 28,327 – Vulcan

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I made rather slow progress on this at first, probably because of what seems like a large number cryptic and double definitions, but it’s all pretty straightforward in retrospect. Thanks to Vulcan.   … Read more >>

Azed 2531

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The last Azed of 2020 before the Christmas special, and quite a gentle one, I thought. Thanks as always to Azed.             Across 1. POGGE Hard-plated fish from … Read more >>

Guardian 28,312 – Vlad

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Vlad likes a bit of politics in his puzzles, and I think it’s no giveaway to say that here we are talking about the post-election shenanigans in the US, with all but  handful … Read more >>

Guardian 28,305 – Qaos

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I was able to solve this very quickly, helped by a lot of straightforward clues and by… …the theme, which I was lucky to spot early on from 8a, confirmed by 14a: it’s … Read more >>