Independent

A much easier outing this week than last, which H did comfortably over his lunch hour. Some very nice touches (16ac and 21ac were our favourites) together with unexotic vocabulary would make this … Read more >>

I solved most of this on a long car journey and didn’t find it too difficult once the long answer at 14/29/1D had fallen. I liked the surface for TRAVAIL and TREATMENT, and … Read more >>

As usual, an utterly satisfactory crossword from Phi. There are some less than A-list place names, but before anyone complains they should remember that Phi lives in New Zealand, so he has as … Read more >>

Well I suppose I was due a tough one and in my view this was hard with several I can’t justify. There is a perimeter Nina whose significance I can’t see either. All … Read more >>

It’s never a hardship to blog a Dac, but I thought this one in particular was a bit of a classic. There’s some really inspired stuff in there. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic … Read more >>

Apologies for the late blog. I wasn’t expecting to see Anax though mercifully this didn’t turn out to be quite as tricksy as some previous offerings from this very entertaining and talented setter. … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A typically excellent puzzle from the crossword editor which has a NINA referring to a group I’d never heard of. The group itself also … Read more >>

We made rather heavy work of this one, and had to resort to aids to get the last couple (21ac and 6dn).  There were lots of very well worded clues here, and that’s … Read more >>

After last month’s exceedingly tricky Anax puzzle, I was a little worried about this one, but it turned out to be a lot more manageable. No obvious theme, but a pangrammatic grid, if … Read more >>

Friday already so it must be Phi and it is. The usual Phi standard with the one exception that I could never have got. Yes I know, cue the rumblings about the poor … Read more >>

It’s Thursday, it’s Scorpion and it’s a theme about which I know very little, so this had me very worried for a while. In the end this was a remarkably quick solve, although … Read more >>

I never got round to tackling yesterday’s Tees, and I guess today’s puzzle would have come as a relief to those that did. As to whether or not it was any good? It’s … Read more >>

An incredibly difficult offering from Tees today. Incredibly difficult, so far as I’m concerned, anyway. I can just imagine all those people logging on to this blog in the hope that they can … Read more >>

Pleasing puzzle which I found not too difficult, the 15-letter answers around the perimeter yielded quite quickly, solving time 18 mins. * = anagram ACROSS 1 MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD    Double definition 9 SUSS OUT  USS … Read more >>

A smooth and speedy solve this week, with only 24ac leaving us scratching our heads for a bit. The anagram at 15ac was enjoyable, as was the switch from the verb to the … Read more >>