Cyclops 592 – Grievous (in)tolerance
A more UK-centric Cyclops this time round – the odd Trump/Clinton reference in the clues, but a host of old favourites in May, Boris, Gove, Nicola Sturgeon, the Speaker and the ‘shadow cabinet … Read more >>
mc_rapper67
Enigmatic Variations No. 1263: The Creeping Man by Jaques
The preamble to THE CREEPING MAN states that:“One letter must be removed from each clue before solving; in clue order, these identify a group of people associated with THE CREEPING MAN. Having completed … Read more >>
Independent 9452 by Klingsor (Saturday Puzzle 28 January 2017)
A nice solid cryptic offering from Klingsor here – with some interesting surface readings and mis-directions… No obvious theme or nina that I could see. There seems to be a higher than ‘average’ number … Read more >>
Cyclops 590 – Savage Character
1A of this puzzle sums the last week or so up perfectly…’US era’s, er, done for – cheer up!‘ And then it goes on to give some mixed messages about the past, present and future … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1259: Address by Samuel
Location! Location! Location?…The title of ADDRESS, and three references to ‘locations’ in the preamble, suggest that there is some sort of geographical theme, or postcode lottery, going on…or are we being led up … Read more >>
Independent 9422 by Tees (Saturday Puzzle 24 December 2016)
Season’s greetings! Peace on earth and goodwill to all men? Sometimes seems an unlikely prospect, and Tees seems to have a gloomy message in today’s puzzle… …starting with 1A (THE MIDDLE EAST) and … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1256: Stock Exchange by proXimal
proXimal invites us to take a punt on the STOCK EXCHANGE…will this pay dividends?…will there be a bull or bear market, or a great depression?! The preamble states that: “Twelve clues contain a … Read more >>
Cyclops 588 – Specious Election
A few Trump-ian references this time round – let’s face it, he will be ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ to satirists and crossword setters for the next four years – and the … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1252: The Van by Ifor
My old man said ‘Follow the van…’…but what kind of ‘van’ does Ifor have in mind?…Van Morrison? ‘The Van’, by Roddy Doyle? or maybe a White-Van Man’ The preamble in full states that: … Read more >>
Cyclops 586 – Unleash Nasty Mess…
…or ‘One No-Trump’, maybe, as I think this is the first Cyclops in a while not to mention the orange-skinned self-publicist…thank goodness the US election is over, and we won’t have to worry … Read more >>
Independent 9392 by Maize (Saturday Puzzle 19 November 2016)
Another new (to me, at least) setter…I seem to have been saying this a lot recently, which can only be a good thing! I can’t find any previous Maize puzzles on this site, … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 160 by Puck
What flight of fancy will Puck – the mischievous, fun-loving sprite from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ – take us on with Genius 160?… Well thankfully, for your correspondent at least, this was a … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1248: Snowball by Harribobs
O…M…G… I suspect we have a candidate for ‘EV of the year’, if not the decade, in terms of grid construction and denouément at least…I think I need a SNOWBALL cocktail (or two), … Read more >>
Cyclops 584: ‘Trump’ed-Up Charges?
Sixteen days to go in the mud-slinging gutter-trawling (least-un)popularity contest that is the US election, and both Trump and Clinton references abound in this week’s Cyclops…hopefully he’ll have some closer-to-home Brexit machinations and … Read more >>
Independent 9362 by Gila (Saturday Puzzle 15 October 2016)
I think this was my first Gila ‘regular’ cryptic solve, although I have come across his/her thematic/barred offerings in the Inquisitor and EV series, and my first Gila blog… I found this a … Read more >>