Independent

Drawing a Scorpion on a blogging day is always a little daunting, and this was a thorough workout. Many of this week’s entries are towns on or near the River Thames. It will … Read more >>

Well I found this pretty darn tough. Most of the acrosses went in fairly easily, but the low-numbered downs were much harder and required some liberal use of the online Reveal button! And … Read more >>

A breathtaking achievement from Anax. The vast majority of the clues have a surface that refers to the same thing, yet there is no strain and they all work quite naturally. This kind … Read more >>

After yesterday’s surprise appearance by Phi we are back to normal for a Wednesday with Dac and his customary fine clues. This puzzle was a little on the easy side for my taste but … Read more >>

When logging on to the Independent website this morning, I had to do a double-take: had I slept for three days and woken up to Phi’s usual Friday crossword or had the unthinkable … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism After last week’s digression into the world of music, the Indy was back on more familiar territory this week with – you’ve guessed it … Read more >>

Seems ages since I did a blog – I’ve added the clues to remind solvers as it was published a week ago. A couple of rarer words and some nice wordplay here. But … Read more >>

A puzzle curiously centred on “Rear Window” – not only the Hitchcock film, but also the various signs and items that may be seen in the rear window of a car. While solving … Read more >>

As usual a nice tidy crossword from Phi. So good in fact that there is really very little to say, a sign of quality. Now that I’ve said that there is no doubt plenty … Read more >>

What a good day for puzzles, Loroso, Araucaria and Morph! We have a fairy tale theme from Morph today with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs featuring in the clues and Heigh Ho Heigh … Read more >>

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 >>