Independent

Considering some of the tough and thematic puzzles this week this was a nice easy end to the week with no themes or hidden messages (famous last words!) It was the usual high … Read more >>

The easiest puzzle I’ve solved by this usually difficult setter. A few people here have mentioned that they’ve often found many of Scorpion’s clues to be a bit contrived but I don’t think … Read more >>

A very difficult puzzle, which I was not able to finish – clues I struggled with listed in full below – any help provided would be much appreciated. The theme is “The Scottish … Read more >>

A special Christmas offering from Quixote, the main theme being the use of a well-known Christmas item in its role as an anagram indicator. Once seen, solving was very fast. Solving time: 14 … Read more >>

Across 7 I POD [with the I “put back”] UM 8 CHESTNUT. 8 Down is “Christmas tree”, but unless I don’t know about Christmas trees in various parts of the world, the connection … Read more >>

I found this pretty difficult, although the preamble was a big help in that it suggested that other Indy compilers would be mentioned in whole or in part in the answers and, more … Read more >>

As usual with Phi, everything very enjoyable. There doesn’t seem to be a Nina, but there probably is. Across 1 RAM with ASH first. The letter combination ASH often appears and “remains” is … Read more >>

Across 1 (SINFUL EFFECTS I)* – SELF-SUFFCIENT. SELF was obvious but the rest took a little time to make itself apparent. 9 RUSE,D,SKI 10 YUP,PIE – if I had to pick a word … Read more >>

Monk is a setter whose puzzles I seek out, so Christmas came early to see that pseudonym in the Indy today.    Almost every clue has something special.    Solving time:  43 mins.  There is … Read more >>

I found this very easy. Solving time: 14 mins Notes on some clues below: happy to explain others if asked. * = anagram ACROSS 1 S (AMOS) A SA = Salvation Army 11 … Read more >>

Across 1 PACK, L in CAB (all reversed) – the BLACKCAP is a small songbird. 9 INDI[-a]’S,POSITION – I found this very tough and only got the answer by finding a word that … Read more >>

Excellent puzzle as per. Any theme is lost on me although the grid suggests one. Across 9 IMMORAL — MM in I+ORAL — good surface though exam is often a giveaway. 11 CAPRICE … Read more >>

This was a satisfying mix of relatively easy and difficult clues. Of particular note were 5 down, 13 across and 25 across, all of which had clever cryptic definitions. Across 1 Uzbekistan: (bet … Read more >>

I found this unusually difficult for Phi, but perhaps that’s just because of my own incompetence. Certainly several clues that eluded me at first were simple enough when the answer eventually came. No … Read more >>