Independent

I’m having more interaction with Tees than I am with my own children these days. Once again one of his puzzles arrives on my watch, which is no great hardship for me – … Read more >>

Grey skies and precipitation – must be June. A tussle with Nimrod beckons. If the setter’s name wasn’t enough to switch on the locked down grey cells, there are  lots of clues referring … Read more >>

We are now in the 12th week of lockdown and are losing track of time. However, we have a Phi puzzle today so it must be Friday. Thanks Phi for keeping our brains … Read more >>

Loglady has set today’s puzzle, which I found rather challenging, perhaps because I am not yet that familiar with Loglady’s crosswords. I think that I have managed to solve the puzzle correctly, but … Read more >>

I always look forward to blogging an Eccles crossword.       Eccles clues are frequently written so smoothly that it takes a little while to separate the definition from the wordplay.  Good … Read more >>

My apologies for the lateness of this blog. So far as I remember it’s the first time in years of blogging that this has happened — I completely forgot. No excuses, but — … Read more >>

Hypnos is a long-standing, regular but comparatively infrequent setter for the Independent and the Independent on Sunday. I found this to be a puzzle that fell steadily, with a few clues that took … Read more >>

Thanks to Tees (looks like he’s become a regular IOS setter). Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Fresh NHS to be mauled further? Do this and feel better (7,2) FRESHEN UP … Read more >>

Phi is occupying his customary Friday slot this week. I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle and made steady progress through it. The grid had space for more than the usual number … Read more >>

Klingsor is a fairly regular setter of Indie puzzles who often includes musical allusions in the clues.       We were straight into music with the operatic allusions and entry at 1 … Read more >>

With Dac we became used to Wednesdays being a fairly gentle day, and the gentleness continued after his death. Eimi evidently wants to call a halt to this, not for the first time … Read more >>

Having waited for over a year for the pleasure of blogging Vigo’s most recent puzzle, we’ve hit the jackpot again with today’s! As with the last Vigo, we found it to be a … Read more >>

I think this is Shabbo’s first appearance in the Independent, or in any of the papers covered by Fifteensquared. Always good to meet a new setter, especially one who can produce a puzzle … Read more >>

Very entertaining. Thank you Hoskins. ACROSS 1 OPTICIANS Might they make one better-looking? (9)   cryptic definition 6 ADAPT Change a lawyer gets with pint (5)   A DA (lawyer) with PT (pint) … Read more >>