This was one of those themed puzzles that can be difficult to start with if you don’t get the gateway clue quickly.
Independent
Independent on Sunday 1416 Hoskins
This was, I thought, trickier than the usual IoS puzzle. It wouldn’t be out of place as a weekday, or perhaps even a Saturday (when the Indie used to give out prizes) Indie … Read more >>
Independent crossword 9518 by Jambazi
Easter weekend and a puzzle from Jambazi. Whilst I don’t usually look up meanings of setters’ names, for some reason I did today and Jambazi appears to mean bandit in Swahili. I found … Read more >>
Independent 9,517 / Phi
Not surprisingly, Good Friday this year is also a Good Phi-day! Like another recent Phi puzzle, this grid also contains a large number of longer entries, all of which were across clues. As … Read more >>
Independent 9516 / Morph
Morph has given us a puzzle of transition today I The clues and the entries move thematically from the icy cold of the pole to the sweltering heat of the equator. … Read more >>
Independent 9,515 by Eccles
What we have come to expect from Eccles and just right for a Wednesday: good, accessible, sound. Plenty of nice clues.
My apologies for the lateness, which is even worse than usual (The Guardian and the FT are always before me. Bet they are today [actually the FT wasn’t]). When I switched off yesterday there were various updates, and these had to be fiddled with by the computer before it booted up. And then it didn’t seem to want to start Windows. But eventually it did thank goodness.
Independent 9514 / Vigo
A fairly straightforward puzzle from Vigo today. Nothing too taxing, but none the worse for that. All the clues were fair, with no particularly unusual words, making for a very enjoyable solve. … Read more >>
Independent 9513/Silvanus
Silvanus and I shook hands on Fifteensquared with his debut puzzle a few weeks ago, and we meet again today. I thought that this one was well-constructed and witty on occasions, but there … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,415 by Poins
A very pleasurable way to start a Sunday. Thank you Poins.
Independent 9512 by Wiglaf (Saturday Puzzle 8 April 2017)
I have blogged a couple of Wiglaf’s EV puzzles, but I think this is the first of his/her ‘straight’ cryptics I have had the pleasure of covering… And all fairly straightforward to begin … Read more >>
Independent 9511 / Phi
Phi on a Friday, no surprises there . I’ll now say something I’ll almost certainly regret when the comments come in. I can’t see a Nina or theme in this puzzle. … Read more >>
Independent 9,510 by Serpent
Serpent has been around for a year or two now, but I don’t think I have had the pleasure before. It seems that most people have found him on the hard side, but it looks as if I’ve had a fairly gentle introduction to him.
More &lits or near-&lits than I remember in a daily crossword. Clever of Serpent to get so many in.
Independent 9509 / Kairos
Kairos steps in for Dac this week – and we found this quite difficult to get to grips with. Having written up the blog we are now wondering why? Was it the … Read more >>
Independent 9,508 / Knut
Knut has produced this week’s Tuesday teaser, which I imagine had many of us reaching for our dictionaries! This was quite a workout and not just because I didn’t know most of the … Read more >>
Independent 9508 / Knut
Well, I don’t know what’s happened to today’s scheduled blogger. Had I been scheduled to cover this one (ie had I not been standing in at the last minute with the consequential time … Read more >>