Pierre – Page 33 – Fifteensquared

Guardian Quiptic 1,028/Anto

Mon July 29, 2019 at 12:41 pmMon July 29, 2019 at 10:46 am by Pierre

Apart from two clues that aren’t cryptic, one that is faulty, seven other niggles and a complete lack of wit, I thought this was an okayish puzzle for the Quiptic slot. You? … Read more >>

Independent 10,231/Flitwick

Mon July 29, 2019 at 7:30 am by Pierre

Painstaking research shows that this is Flitwick’s third puzzle for the Indy or IoS, with a debut puzzle in March of this year, and this is the third time it has fallen to … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,026/Matilda

Mon July 15, 2019 at 8:24 am by Pierre

I don’t think we’ve ever had a dud Quiptic – barely a dud clue – from Matilda in the time she has been setting for this slot. Another good’un this morning to get … Read more >>

Independent on Sunday 1,533/Skinny

Sun July 14, 2019 at 12:05 am by Pierre

As far as I can tell, this is a debut for Skinny, so welcome. I found this a tractable and pleasing puzzle in the IoS style, spoilt only by one clue which is … Read more >>

Independent 10,213/Tees

Mon July 8, 2019 at 9:26 amMon July 8, 2019 at 7:30 am by Pierre

Tees can do mainstream; Tees can do left-field. In places this was the latter. This took me a long time to solve. Tees will always reward your patience and lead … Read more >>

Everyman 3,794/30 June

Sun July 7, 2019 at 11:52 pmSun July 7, 2019 at 12:10 am by Pierre

Another enjoyable puzzle from Everyman, but one where I suspect less experienced solvers will be saying ‘too hard’. I could be wrong. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,024/Hectence

Mon July 1, 2019 at 10:02 am by Pierre

Hectence is one of the long-established setters of the Quiptic, having contributed puzzles since the early days. She’s good at this kind of stuff: here’s a carefully constructed crossword that will encourage newer … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,022/Matilda

Mon June 17, 2019 at 5:08 pmMon June 17, 2019 at 12:48 pm by Pierre

Apologies for the late blog, but as you will probably have discovered, this week’s Quiptic wasn’t uploaded to the Grauniad site till late morning. A fine puzzle from Matilda, with a couple of … Read more >>

Independent 10,195/Hoskins

Mon June 17, 2019 at 7:30 am by Pierre

I haven’t blogged a Hoskins puzzle for ages, so I was really pleased to bag this one. He’s a talented setter who has produced an excellent Indy offering here in the usual accessible … Read more >>

Independent on Sunday 1,529/Raich

Sun June 16, 2019 at 12:05 am by Pierre

Raich sets less frequently for the Indy these days, so I haven’t had the pleasure of blogging one of his puzzles for a while. This was slightly unusual for an IoS offering, since … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,021/Carpathian

Mon June 10, 2019 at 9:05 am by Pierre

I’m off the bench as substitute blogger this week and was delighted when I found out that I would be playing against Carpathian, because she always loses gracefully. This is her in Mary … Read more >>

Everyman 3,790/2 June

Sun June 9, 2019 at 12:05 am by Pierre

Another puzzle that hits the spot for the Everyman slot, I thought. Some generous clues to get you going, then all gettable with a bit of perseverance. There is a … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,020/Pan

Mon June 3, 2019 at 9:50 amMon June 3, 2019 at 8:34 am by Pierre

Pan can always be relied on to give us a Quiptic that will provide a sound but enjoyable challenge to an improving solver. This is one of those. Abbreviations cd … Read more >>

Independent 10,177/Flitwick

Mon May 27, 2019 at 7:30 am by Pierre

Another fine crossword from Flitwick. A tractable puzzle in the usual Monday Indy style, with precise clueing and some deft touches. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 1,018/Anto

Mon May 20, 2019 at 11:32 amMon May 20, 2019 at 7:03 am by Pierre

The last Anto I blogged was an okay Quiptic, but this was, in my view, back to the bad old days when the feedback in the comments section on this setter’s offerings was … Read more >>