A sweet musical interlude from Crosophile today
Independent
Independent on Sunday 1282/Kairos
I thought this was an excellent IoS puzzle from Kairos. Just one or two where I’m not entirely sure of my parsing. I don’t normally big up setters, because they are overweening and … Read more >>
Independent Crossword 8710 by NIMROD (13-09-2014)
My run of three Anax puzzles in a row comes to an end. Nimrod it is this week – oh joy! However, this proved to be less daunting than my usual battles with … Read more >>
Independent 8,715 by Jambazi
Nowadays any day is as likely as the next to throw up a hard one; except perhaps Wednesday, where Dac still holds sway for most of the month. I found this crossword from Jambazi remarkably difficult and it took me ages, although most of the clues seem easy enough after they have been solved.
I get the impression that there is something going on: the members of some band from the 1980s perhaps or some such? [Leonard Cohen, who is 80 today, we are told by Geebs, to whom thanks]
My apologies for frequently mentioning Chambers. I know it is not the dictionary used by this paper, but a) I can’t remember what is and b) it is to hand.
Definitions underlined.
Independent 8714 / Hieroglyph
We haven’t had a puzzle with an unhidden theme for a while so today’s Hieroglyph was very welcome. We remember the thematic TV Series at 16ac from the 1960s, although it was not … Read more >>
Independent 8,713 / Dac
It was no surprise to find Dac occupying the Wednesday slot this week. Nor was it a surprise to find another set of carefully crafted, highly sound clues. Overall, I found that this … Read more >>
Independent 8712 / Phi
Phi now seems to be popping up on any day of the week rather than just a Friday, but he is very welcome at any time I really enjoyed the … Read more >>
Independent 8711 by Donk
*=anagram [] = removed e.g. char[m]=char ()=abbreviation e.g. A(mpere)=a Hom. = homophone This was a bit of a fiasco for me. I couldn’t get into the style of clues and gave up with … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1281 / Nitsy (7/9/14)
Nitsy only provides us with two or three puzzles each year and, looking back, I see that for the last five years there has always been one in September, though the previous ones … Read more >>
Independent 8704 by Nestor (Saturday Prize Puzzle 6 Sept 2014)
A third Nestor in a row on my watch … maybe the Indy editor has settled his contributors into a 5-weekly cycle that, coincidentally, matches our Saturday Prize blogging rota? Not that I’m complaining … Read more >>
Independent 8709 / Klingsor
When we saw that it was Klingsor we expected some tricky clues and were not disappointed. There were even a few that we had to ponder over again when we came to write … Read more >>
Independent 8,708 / Tyrus
Tyrus is the cruciverbal brain behind today’s puzzle, on a grid allowing for as many as five 15-letter entries. I found this to be a fairly tough and above all highly entertaining solve. … Read more >>
Independent 8707 / Dac
Dac, as usual, has provided us with a fair challenge for a Wednesday. There were no really obscure words. SÉMILLON (19 across) is not a wine I drink very often but I was … Read more >>
Independent 8,706 by Morph
An enjoyable crossword as usual from Morph. There is one that I can’t parse but no doubt someone will explain.
I found this so difficult that by the end I was just relieved to be there, even though there were still one or two that I wasn’t comfortable with. By then all thoughts of hunting for a Nina, which I’ve now done unfruitfully, were out of the window.
Definitions underlined.
Independent 7177/Phi – online version
We’re having quite a kerfuffle this morning. Because of ‘technical difficulties’, the puzzle in the paper by Phi isn’t the same as this one. So having never blogged a Phi puzzle before, I’ve … Read more >>