Independent

A typically good Virgilius puzzle with a few tough clues. I made one significant error early on which left me flummoxed over the last two entries. Across 7 TICKET COLLECTOR — double def. … Read more >>

Superb puzzle but tricky in places and a reminder that Monday is not always easy-day in the Independent. There’s a lot to admire in this but I thought that 1A,10A,20A and 4D were … Read more >>

I found this fairly straightforward. Solving time: 15 mins. (LATER: there is a Nina here that I missed though I did look, but another has pointed it out.   I refer to it … Read more >>

Across 1 (PTA I CURB SCHOOL)* – CLAUSTROPHOBIC. Easy anagram to spot; it’s always nice to get a long answer quickly as it gives you lots of Down clues to work on. 10 … Read more >>

Very tough, as we’ve come to expect from Scorpion. I actually managed to fill the grid pretty quickly – about 30 mins – but, as you’ll see from the blog, there was a … Read more >>

Solving time:  21 mins.       Held up for some time by thinking a very well-known actress had a U in her name though there was none in the anagram fodder (6 across). In line … Read more >>

A quickish pleasurable solve with a couple of tricky clues and new words (for me). Once I’d found some of his well-hidden definitions, Dac’s cluing left no doubts for even the toughest of … Read more >>

A corking puzzle from Virgilius with a subtle theme, explained in 17A. (The clue in the blog title is, I think, by Enigmatist – but apologies to the setter concerned if I’ve got … Read more >>

Interesting puzzle with clues ranging from very easy to very tricky. A theme which I think you could not miss if you solved the puzzle – Land’s End and John O’Groats appropriately placed … Read more >>

This made a quick solve for me – possibly because two of my grandparents were from New Zealand and I’m more familiar with the cities than I might otherwise have been. I think … Read more >>

Very tough but lots of fun. There are a couple of things I’m not sure about here and there and one answer I can get at all (10A) but I thought this was … Read more >>

An  excellent puzzle from this very talented setter.     Getting some of the longer phrases quickly made it a faster solve than usual for me in the case of the occasional Indy setters. Solving … Read more >>

I found this fairly straightforward. Solving time: 16 mins. In line with recent practice, will note a fairly small number of what may have been the trickier clues, but happy to explain others … Read more >>

I don’t think this was as tough as some recent Dac puzzles but I have a feeling that 9A will trip some people up… Across 1 COMMOD[-or]ES 6 SHREW,D 9 BADLY DRAWN BOY … Read more >>

Something of a rarity for me: a Virgilius puzzle I didn’t enjoy all that much. I got the three thematic clues fairly quickly, probably because they’re not all that cryptic and I knew … Read more >>