Independent

When I began this puzzle I expected a fairly easy ride as usual with Dac. In the end this puzzle took me way too long mainly due to the time spent looking at … Read more >>

…at least I think it’s new. I certainly don’t recall ever seeing it before. It’s a nice idea although it does make things very easy for you, once you’ve got the first one … Read more >>

Very unusual puzzle, with some (for me) original treatments. Solving time: 31 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 CONVENIENCE Double definition (or punning definition) – just 7 letters to clue an 11-letter word! … Read more >>

Some explanation first: Since handheld computers first appeared I’ve kept personal records of my times solving the Indy Crossword (including the IoS), mainly to compare the setters. When those handhelds went into the … Read more >>

Slightly trickier than usual offering from Phi, with an appropriate mini-theme. Across 1 S,WIPED 5/10 THE FIRST NO,EL 9 N in DISCO,TENT 12 B,I,RE,ME – new to me but I’d come across TRIREME … Read more >>

Solving time: 5:12 The quickest of the week so far for me. A couple of excellent cryptic definitions (12dn/13dn). No theme that I can see, but then I usually can’t. Beginners’ tips of … Read more >>

Lots of traditional Christmas references which forced some of the other words to be a little less familiar, I guess, but Quixote gave accessible clues for them. Reminded me of when I first … Read more >>

Another excellent puzzle by Merlin , which I mostly solved quickly but was slow to finish. Solving time: 21 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 GO (energy) + SPEL(l) (endless charm) 9 BEAT … Read more >>

Solving time 14:30 This one slipped my mind in the run-up to Christmas so here it is about 5 days late. Lots more high-quality clue-writing from Nestor here. If you think I’m exaggerating, … Read more >>

Solving time : A little over 10 minutes A typical Dac puzzle and a delightful rest from the Listener-type puzzles I have been looking at over the Christmas holiday. The clues are precise … Read more >>

Do my eyes deceive me or is this a theme-less puzzle from Virgilius? There’s the reference to the flags of the US and ex-Soviet Union at 1A and 26A but that’s all I … Read more >>

I thought this was going to be reasonably straightforward until I hit stormy weather in the SW corner (points covered in notes below).    Solving time  34 mins  (slower than usual for me for Quixote) … Read more >>

Another one of “those” grids from Nimrod, with only 9 (count ’em) across clues and 5 of those have 15 letters. It’s been said before, here and elsewhere, that the problem with this … Read more >>

Solving time: 11:36. Monk is one of my favourite Indie setters and today was another gem with clues as inventive and accurate as ever. Some difficult words – five I didn’t know (12, … Read more >>

More quality cluemanship from Dac. Across 6 hidden in “riCE REAlly”. 10 O,I,GIRL< 11 YO,SEMITE – I guess this is a reference to George Bush’s infamous “Yo Blair!” comment. 12 (EACH HIPS)* 13 … Read more >>