Independent on Sunday 1,681/Hoskins
A typical Independent on Sunday puzzle from Hoskins. That is to say, easy-end. And in traditional Hoskins style, the vast majority of the clues have a reference to sex, drugs, drink or flatulence. … Read more >>
Pierre
Everyman 3,942/1 May
Another pleasing Sunday puzzle from Everyman. Since it’s primarily aimed at newer and improving solvers, I have tried to give full explanations of the parsing, but if there is anything that is not … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,172/Hectence
Hectence shows off her skills as a Quiptic setter this morning. If you are in the ‘beginner’ category, then have another look at the surface readings in this puzzle. They are all beautifully … Read more >>
Independent 11,092/Tees
Tees has the bank holiday crossword for us. There is a theme among the answers today which, unless you have been living on another planet for the last six months, can hardly have … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,170/Anto
Seeing Anto’s name on a Quiptic never gives me a ‘Be still, my beating heart!’ moment. Your reaction may differ, and you can tell me so below. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,677/Kairos
Kairos is most often seen in the Independent on Sunday crossword slot, and I always enjoy his puzzles here. This one took a bit of finishing off, and there were one or two … Read more >>
Independent 11,074/Wire
I still think of Wire as one of the ‘new’ Indy setters, but in fact he made his debut nearly four years ago now. I really liked this offering from him – a … Read more >>
Everyman 3,938/3 April
Another pleasing and tractable puzzle from our Sunday setter. There were some nice touches in this one, I thought, as well as the trademark rhyming pair and ‘initial’ clue. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,168/Hectence
A thoughtfully constructed Quiptic from Hectence this morning. She’s good at this kind of stuff, you know. There were one or two that took a bit of parsing, but then when you’re learning … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,166/Carpathian
Always a pleasure when I click open the Quiptic and see that Carpathian is the setter. Another delightful and accessible puzzle for beginners from her this morning. There are two little points of … Read more >>
Independent 11,056/Gila
Super puzzle from Gila this morning, demonstrating again what a strong bunch of setters this paper has to call on. What struck me here was the quality of the surface readings: pretty much … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,673/Filbert
A pleasant stroll with Filbert this morning, which I enjoyed solving and blogging. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) … Read more >>
Everyman 3,934/6 March
A pleasing puzzle from Everyman this morning, with a number of stand-out clues and a good variety of devices. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,164/Chandler
A debut Quiptic puzzle from Chandler, and a fine one it was too. I can only find one Chandler puzzle in the archive, and that was a Genius back from 2019. This was … Read more >>
Independent 11,038/Kairos
Kairos is an occasional setter for the Indy, and often to be seen on a Sunday. But here he is in the Monday slot with a puzzle that yielded steadily but provided me … Read more >>