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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 1759: Murder Mystery by Jaques

Tue July 19, 2022 at 2:47 pmTue July 19, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Murder Mystery by Jaques

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Categories Inquisitor 29 Comments

Guardian Cryptic 28,789 by Pasquale

Tue June 21, 2022 at 5:09 pm by kenmac

It looks like the regular blogger is unavailable so I’ve hastily put this together.

Apologies for the brevity and apologies in advance for errors.

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Categories Guardian 84 Comments

Inquisitor 1755: End of Line by Dysart

Tue June 21, 2022 at 11:03 amTue June 21, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

End of Line by Dysart Two entries are encoded forms of their clued answers, using a separate one-to-one substitution cipher for each (in one a letter maps itself). The change from answer to … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 11 Comments

Inquisitor 1751: Picnic by Kruger

Tue May 24, 2022 at 11:24 pmTue May 24, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Picnic by Kruger Clues are given in alphabetical order of their answers which must be entered where they will fit. However, two entries are unclued; together they form a pictorial representation of … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 10 Comments

Inquisitor 1746: Calculations by Vismut

Tue April 19, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Calculations by Vismut Extra letters in some clues spell out consecutive operations in two calculations that the unclued across entry might have made – one reading down through the clues and one reading … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 25 Comments

Inquisitor 1743: Combined Help by eXternal

Tue March 29, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Combined Help by eXternal Each across clue contains a superfluous word; in clue order second letters of the words give an author and penultimate letters give a work. Wordplay in each down clue … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 17 Comments

Inquisitor 1739: All Present and Correct by Eclogue

Tue March 1, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

All Present and Correct by Eclogue Silvered entries are to be deduced from the eight thematic clues, listed in alphabetical order of their solutions, which lack definitions. Initial letters of these entries can … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 17 Comments

Inquisitor 1735: Gold by Karla

Tue February 1, 2022 at 11:20 amTue February 1, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Gold by Karla The wordplay in each of twelve clues contains a superfluous word which may be assigned to one of three thematic sets of four. In the complete grid, solvers must highlight … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 14 Comments

Inquisitor 1731: Retro by Encota

Tue January 4, 2022 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Retro by Encota Stage 1 is somewhat like the old ‘Minesweeper’ game where the solver must locate the ‘mines’. The integer in each cell equates to the number of ‘mines’ that are in … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 27 Comments

Inquisitor 1727: On Track by Phi

Wed December 8, 2021 at 10:02 pmTue December 7, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

On Track by Phi Nineteen clues are unnumbered and their answers are to be entered where they will fit, after being treated. The mode of treatment is hinted at by the three words … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 9 Comments

Inquisitor 1723: Bandits Scuppered Her Plans by Radler

Tue November 9, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Bandits Scuppered Her Plans by Radler In twelve thematic clues the entry is formed by changing the defined answer in one of two ways. Wordplay and letter counts refer to the entry. Eleven … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 11 Comments

Inquisitor 1719: Whowasdun by Charybdis

Tue October 12, 2021 at 10:54 pmTue October 12, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Whowasdun by Charybdis 35ac and the title of a detective mystery are to be deduced and the detective (thematically affected) highlighted in the grid. Alas, the person addressed in the title (4, … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 21 Comments

Inquisitor 1715: For Her Eyes Only by Artix

Wed September 15, 2021 at 11:20 pmTue September 14, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  For Her Eyes Only by Artix Initial letters of single extra words in 11 clues may be rearranged to give the author of a series of works whose eponym – omitting an … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 23 Comments

Inquisitor 1711: Across the Board by Opsimath

Mon August 23, 2021 at 9:59 amTue August 17, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Across the Board by Opsimath Clues are listed in alphabetical order of their answers, which are to be fitted into the grid wherever they will go. Ten thematic answers (two of 2 … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 27 Comments

Inquisitor 1707: Passing Thought by Nutmeg

Tue July 20, 2021 at 10:37 pmTue July 20, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Passing Thought by Nutmeg Each across clue has a single-letter misprint in its definition. Correct letters in clue order form a sequence, stripped of its first and last elements, connected with a celebrated … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 23 Comments
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