Independent

An IoS towards the harder end of the spectrum, I thought.  There were quite some answers that had to be teased out, including the 4 long anagrams, of which I found 8 down … Read more >>

Nurse! My medication, please! This fiendishly clever and involved Saturday Prize puzzle from Nimrod almost reduced me to a gibbering wreck…or rather to more of one… Where to start? Several linked clues; some … Read more >>

We’re always pleased to solve a Phi-day puzzle at the end of the week. We started off thinking that this was a fairly easy puzzle until we ground to a halt about two-thirds … Read more >>

It is Thursday today, so you take pot luck in terms of which compiler you get, and I am always very pleased to cross swords with Nestor. With Nestor you know that what … Read more >>

This was another excellent puzzle by Dac.  He really does write clues that make good sense.       I always look for Ninas and themes in puzzles that I blog, but I … Read more >>

As always from Anax a beautifully-constructed workout. My goodness it was difficult, though. I found it as hard as anything this setter has produced, although it is none the worse for that. It … Read more >>

Tyrus is one of the harder Indy setters and often appears at the weekend.      This puzzle however I found easier than Tyrus usually is, tho harder than the Indy puzzle on average.    Solving … Read more >>

Not sure I’ve had the pleasure of blogging a Poins before, but this was good stuff. I managed this in one sitting and there was nothing too tough, but also nothing to query … Read more >>

Sorry, Tees, but we didn’t really enjoy this as much as we had hoped – but then again, maybe we’re missing something? We found some of the definitions a little too tenuous, and … Read more >>

A typical gentle (to use a word The Times uses for some of its Sudokus) sound crossword from Phi today. Nothing very controversial I think, and the usual musical references. Surprise surprise, I … Read more >>

This was an interesting puzzle from Klingsor – well worthy of a Thursday Independent slot.       There were a number of &Lit clues leading to CIAO (9 across), COMPUTER DATING (21 … Read more >>

I have swapped days with a fellow blogger this week, which is why I am posting today and not on Friday. It is far from the last Wednesday of the month today, so … Read more >>

We found this trickier than the average Radian, with what initially appeared to be a straightforward theme (see 22A, 17D, 18D, 21D and 23D). As we worked our way through the puzzle we … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A fairly standard outing from Quixote, mostly on the easy side, although the parsing of one of the clues (2 down) completely defeats me.  … Read more >>

This is the second time in a row that I’ve drawn Hypnos on a Sunday, and no complaints about that from me. I sometimes find Hypnos to be on the tougher side compared … Read more >>