Independent

No surprises over today’s setter: it’s Wednesday, so it just had to be a Dac. Similarly, no surprises about the kind of crossword in store for us: a set of perfectly sound, uncontrived … Read more >>

I rarely get round to tackling the Guardian or FT puzzle these days (or The Times for that matter), so it’s always good to get a bowlful of Halpern in The Indy every … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism This was one of those puzzles where you know, from the presence of some slightly odd words in the down clues, that there must … Read more >>

The usual straightforward, sound offering from Quixote. Solved pretty quickly, though 9a held me up a bit. The most popular clue will probably be 8d, though I’d go for 17a or 5d for … Read more >>

A very pleasing puzzle from Monk, with some very inventive clues.  Also a lovely array of the different clueing techniques that can be used in constructing a cryptic crossword. I failed to find … Read more >>

 It’s Friday so it must be a Phi day and, unless things have changed, a Phi in the ‘i’ day as well. After the recent tribute to 15² by Anax (#7588, 10th Feb.) … Read more >>

I hadn’t had the opportunity of blogging a Klingsor puzzle until today, and I think that I’ve only ever solved a handful of crosswords signed Klingsor, although perhaps this setter masquerades behind other … Read more >>

Wednesday = Dac = it’s all good. Some tricksy Down clues in this one I thought, but everything perfectly justifiable and well put together as ever. Across 1 SLIP-UP – PUPILS rev. 5 … Read more >>

A very pleasant crossword from Raich today. It took a while to get started because of all those clues that refer to some other clue, and none of the Across clues fell at … Read more >>

Tough puzzle today from Radian, solving time 48 mins. All over the clues the phrase “1 of 20” appeared.      Thought that when I cracked 20 after about 10 minutes, the rest of the … Read more >>

As to be expected, The Don served up another scrupulously fair puzzle that can be enjoyed without too much problems on a lazy Sunday. ACROSS 1 CERISE Ins of ERIS (rev of SIRE, … Read more >>

A nicely constructed and clued puzzle, with some wonderfully diverting surface readings, and a little theme-ette (nina?) woven in as well. The theme, not indicated by any preamble, but alluded to by the … Read more >>

This Phi puzzle did my blogging confidence a world of good, after I had emerged last week battered and bruised from my tussle with Nimrod. Nonetheless, I found this a challenging and enjoyable … Read more >>

We don’t often see Nestor during the week and it seems like ages since I’ve blogged one of his puzzles. I was expecting a bit of a toughie, but actually found that I … Read more >>

The usual smoothly-operating crossword from Dac today. Just when you think the great man has slipped you find that in fact he hasn’t and that you’re the one who is at fault. For … Read more >>