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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 1703: War and Peace by eXtent

Tue June 22, 2021 at 10:39 amTue June 22, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

War and Peace by eXtent Across clues comprise wordplay and definition for answers in symmetrically opposite grid entries, either of which may be clued first. One of the answers in each clue with … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 15 Comments

Inquisitor 1699 An Alternative Guide to Wonderland by Phi

Thu May 27, 2021 at 3:32 pmTue May 25, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  An Alternative Guide to Wonderland by Phi Most clues define the answer that is entered but have wordplay that ignores up to four letters of that answer. The cells containing these ignored … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 12 Comments

Inquisitor 1695: Sign Up Here! by Ploy

Tue April 27, 2021 at 3:45 pmTue April 27, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Sign Up Here! by Ploy A group of two or three letters must be removed from each of ten clues, to form new clues to be solved. In the remaining clues, the wordplay … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 17 Comments

Inquisitor 1691: Death Wish by Serpent

Wed March 31, 2021 at 12:26 pmTue March 30, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Death Wish by Serpent The wordplay in 12 clues leads to an extra letter; solvers must use these letters to complete the unclued entries. Each of the remaining clues contains a string … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 15 Comments

Inquisitor 1687: Observation by Chalicea

Sat March 6, 2021 at 11:04 amTue March 2, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Observation by Chalicea Nine consecutive clues contain an extra word that is not required for the solution. Read in clue order, the initial letters of those words will identify the observation that … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 18 Comments

Inquisitor 1683: Ground Force by Ifor

Wed February 3, 2021 at 8:48 pmTue February 2, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Ground Force by Ifor All clues bar five contain either a single or two consecutive extra letters to be removed, always from a single word, and leaving a shorter word. When read in … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 14 Comments

Inquisitor 1679: Heavy Metal Band by Harribobs

Tue January 5, 2021 at 9:51 pmTue January 5, 2021 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Heavy Metal Band by Harribobs Entries run clockwise in a chain, starting at the peak of 1, with the last letter of each entry being the first of the next. Entries start … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 34 Comments

Inquisitor 1675: Queen of the North by Phi

Fri December 11, 2020 at 2:26 pmTue December 8, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

  Queen of the North by Phi Several squares will need to contain multiple letters for the clue answers to fit – solvers should replace these with the same appropriate symbol. The solutions … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 15 Comments

Inquisitor 1671: Double Take by Encota

Tue November 10, 2020 at 3:24 pmTue November 10, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Double Take by Encota Four unclued thematic entries must be completed. Clue numbers must not be entered initially. Nine clues are common to each pane and must be entered in the same place … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 18 Comments

Inquisitor 1667: Follow the Leader by Serpent

Tue October 13, 2020 at 2:34 pmTue October 13, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Follow the Leader by Serpent The entry at 24 is to be deduced. Answers to 12 normal clues must be modified before entry. The remaining clues contain an extra letter that must be … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 20 Comments

Inquisitor 1663: Equivalency by Eclogue

Tue September 15, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Equivalency by Eclogue The unclued across and down entries each illustrate one side of an equivalency whose statement and source is provided, in clue order, by superfluous letters generated in wordplay. Solvers must … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 32 Comments

Inquisitor 1659: Now You See Me by The Ace of Hearts

Tue August 18, 2020 at 9:46 pmTue August 18, 2020 at 10:01 am by kenmac

Now You See Me by The Ace of Hearts One letter must be deleted from each clue before solving. These letters in clue order spell out a quotation from a film. Six thematic … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 8 Comments

Inquisitor 1655: Write-off (29) by Xanthippe

Tue July 21, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Write-off (29) by Xanthippe All clues are normal but two symmetrically positioned clue answers must be entered jumbled. The first number at the end of each clue is the entry length. The second … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 26 Comments

Inquisitor 1651: Odd Situations by Kruger

Tue June 23, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Odd Situations by Kruger In several clues the definition contains a single letter misprint. The correct letters, in clue order, cryptically suggest how the unclued entries should be completed. Nice short preamble and, … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 14 Comments

Inquisitor 1647: Unlike the Rest by Panther

Tue May 26, 2020 at 10:00 am by kenmac

Unlike the Rest by Panther One letter must be omitted, wherever it occurs, from the answer to each clued entry. Wordplay and numbers in brackets refer to the mutilated answers to be entered … Read more >>

Categories Inquisitor 14 Comments
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