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.

Azed 2,184

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Owing to a very busy week I’ve hardly had time to solve this puzzle – which I think was of above average difficulty, thanks to a high proportion of unfamiliar words – let … Read more >>

Guardian 26,233 – Rufus

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Well, we know Rufus has his own style, but with (by my reckoning) 8 cryptic and 8 double definitions I think we can justifiably complain about a lack of clue variety in this … Read more >>

Guardian 26,224 – Nutmeg

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It’s only just over two weeks since I blogged Nutmeg’s last cryptic puzzle (and there’s been a Quiptic in between as well)> I have no complaints about that: this puzzle is a bit … Read more >>

Guardian 26,217 – Otterden

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I’m sorry to say I didn’t find this very satisfying – as in previous Otterden puzzles there are some excessively obvious clues (e.g. 26a, 3d) and some rather dodgy constructions. There are some … Read more >>

Guardian 26,210 – Nutmeg

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Nutmeg has become quite a regular setter in the Cryptic seat recently. As she is perhaps better known as a Quiptic setter, I was expecting a fairly gentle ride this morning: maybe it’s … Read more >>

Azed 2178

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A nice easy clue to the long 1 across gave me a good start to this, and I rattled through most of it prety quickly, though with a handful stragglers that needed a … Read more >>

Guardian 26,201 – Tramp

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I’ve just started working a four-day week as part of a gradual progress to retirement: today is my first non-working weekday of this arrangement, and how better to celebrate it than by blogging … Read more >>