manehi

As expected for a Rufus, a pleasant and straightforward start to the week. I liked 2dn and 15dn. Across 7 RESTRAINT =”reservation” REST=”No action” around TRAIN=”coach” 8 REPEL =”Ward off” EPE[e]=”shortened sword” inside … Read more >>

On the easy side for a Puck, partly because 2 and 8 went in immediately. Favourite clues were 12a, 19a and 18d. Thanks to tupu for pointing out that this is also a … Read more >>

I’d not heard of the long (53 letter!) solution to 16 et al, but managed to fill it in at the end. Impressive as it is to fit such a long phrase into … Read more >>

I only have a slight knowledge of the theme and twigged it late leaving me struggling with some of the across clues, several of which I guessed from the wordplay and had to … Read more >>

The usual gentle but pleasant start to the week from Rufus. Favourite was 15 Across 1 GRATIFY =Please. (Ray gift)* 5 APOSTLE = a missionary who may appear on a spoon handle 10 … Read more >>

Found this on the easy side for an Araucaria, which still meant a pleasant challenge. Favourite clue probably 14dn. Across 1 ANNE FINE 2001-2003 Children’s Laureate. [ch]ANNE[l] + FINE=excellent 5 GLIDER =aircraft. LID=cover … Read more >>

Not too difficult, a fun theme and some great cluing – my favourites were 1a, 18a, 3d and 13d. Across 1 FLAVOUR L[amb] in FAVOUR=”something curried” 5 MAMMOTH MAM + MOTHer are the … Read more >>

Challenging but enjoyable with a lot of clever surface cluing. Across 1 CLEAVE C[hop] + LEAVE=”up sticks” 4 ETCHINGS ETC=”and more of the same” + [t]HINGS=”items needing no introduction” 9 MOSES Grandma MOSES … Read more >>

Found this very tough but enjoyable, especially 16a, 7d and 21,3. Still unsure on a couple of clues. Across 9 EXTENSION =Annexe. “ex-tension” might be a state of relief 10 SLO-MO [O]SLO is … Read more >>

Very gentle Monday puzzle from Rufus with plenty of anagrams, double and cryptic definitions. I liked 5d and 13d. Across 1 BENEFIT double def 5 EXCERPT EXCEPT=”but” around R[ight] 9 NORSE (reason)* minus … Read more >>

Apologies for the late blog of an entertaining puzzle, especially 2dn. Across 7 NUMERATE (true name)* 9 BENGAL BEN + GAL 10 ECHO =Reflection. Hidden in “for thE CHOp” 11 TWIST DRILL A … Read more >>

Not a surprising choice of setter following yesterday’s rather special crossword – this puzzle looked a little daunting at first but wasn’t too tricky once the grid began to fill. Slightly unsure on … Read more >>

Solved most of this quickly but couldn’t get a foothold in the NW for a good while. Some nice clues (26d my favourite), but some (6d, 14d) were a bit shaky. Across 1 … Read more >>

A fairly gentle start to the year from Rufus – I quite liked 13 and 21. Across 5 REAPED P[hysical] E[ducation] in READ=study 6 RECENT CE=church in RENT=schism 9 STRAYS STAYS with R[ight] … Read more >>

Enjoyable as ever from Brendan with a nice theme around a recent anniversary [spoiler]. Solved pretty quickly after the theme fell, then had to stare at 10a for a good while before the … Read more >>