kenmac's avatarkenmac

In early 2022 I took over administration for this site. Born 1954. I've been fascinated by cryptic crosswords since childhood. My mother used to attempt the Daily Mail cryptic every day but I don't remember her ever finishing one. Then, when I started working, a colleague would bring in The Telegraph every day. It wasn't till my daughter started to get interested, when I bought her a "how to" book that I realized that the definition is "always" the first word (or words) or the last word (or words) of the clue. In 2000 I discovered the, then, Independent Weekend Crossword (now Inquisitor) and later Enigmatic Variations and The Listener. I solve The Inquisitor most weeks and won the Champagne once. In 2005 I achieved an ambition by having a barred crossword published in The Independent using the pseudonym Cayenne. Then I had another one in 2015 in collaboration with Anax. This was Inquisitor 1839.

Inquisitor 1622: by Phi

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  Invisible Ink by Phi Preamble: Spoiler: highlight the whitespace before the compiler’s name (above) to see the puzzle’s title. Well! What’s that all about? I’ve often wondered if we could ever have … Read more >>

Guardian 27946 by Nutmeg

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Puzzle here: https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27946 Some clever wordplay today from Ms Nutmeg. Particularly 10a and 6d. I do wonder about 24d, since a boomer (in Chambers) is a large male kangaroo and a joey is … Read more >>

Guardian 27,929 by Brummie

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  Guardian 27,929 by Brummie Puzzle url: https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27929 Here goes with my first ever blog for a live/daily puzzle. Key to the crossword is, obviously, the four word entry at 11, 10, 24, … Read more >>