Enigmatic Variations – Page 30

Enigmatic Variations No. 1332: Making Ends Meet by Artix

Sat June 9, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

In MAKING ENDS MEET, each clue is a pair, leading (in either order) to two six-letter answers which share a letter in the grey cell; this shared letter is not given by wordplay. … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1331: Alternative to a Beer by Charybdis

Sat June 2, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Is there such a thing as an ALTERNATIVE TO A BEER? Shurely just shomething to precede/follow/accompany/complement?… The preamble states that: “In ALTERNATIVE TO A BEER?, a theme word (4) must be written below … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1330 – Pioneer by Shark

Sat May 26, 2018 at 8:46 amSat May 26, 2018 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

‘The grid illustrates a pioneering feat. The unclued entry must be left blank initially, and the grid completed by filling it with the name of the PIONEER. Solvers must also enter the same single letter into the two barred-off cells, highlight two points of interest in the grid, and connect them with a curved line (running through the term he
coined). Having disliked a term already in use, solvers must remove four letters from the grid (cryptically signifying the term itself). The final grid contains only real words; Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended, but does not contain the plural form at 32.”

Enigmatic Variations 1329 Firsts by Gnomie

Sat May 19, 2018 at 2:27 pmFri May 18, 2018 at 11:35 pm by twencelas

Straight clues, but two unclued entries and then a cryptic instruction that will become clearer as the grid fills – I hope: Two prize-winning FIRSTS must also be highlighted (32 cells in all). … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1328: A Major Deception by Ploy

Sat May 12, 2018 at 8:00 am by Shenanigans

This week, I had a preamble that told me that I probably didn’t have too much to worry about clue-wise: A single word must be removed from three answers on entry into the … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1327: Titles by Oxymoron

Sat May 5, 2018 at 12:40 amSat May 5, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

A multi-layered puzzle from Oxymoron this week – my head was spinning just from reading the instructions! The preamble states that: “28 clues contain an additional word which must be removed before solving. … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1326 – Fashion by Chalicea

Sun April 29, 2018 at 8:18 amSat April 28, 2018 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

‘A speaker and his comment on poor FASHION circle the perimeter. Solvers must make good seven examples within the grid, thus resolving 24 clashes. Definitions and wordplay refer to the poor FASHION, each cell in the completed grid contains just one letter, and Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.’

Enigmatic Variations 1325 The Socratic Problem by Encota

Sat April 21, 2018 at 11:29 amSat April 21, 2018 at 12:07 am by twencelas

Extra words in all clues – to be used to find two instructions. Then change a further character in the grid and then…..hopefully it will make more sense once the crossword element of … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1324: Media Culpa by Wickball

Fri June 8, 2018 at 7:41 pmSat April 14, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

I was half expecting an April Fools’ Day theme today. (If you’re reading this blog some way in the future, this puzzle was published on 1st April.) I wasn’t 100% sure that it … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1323: Capital Letters by Stick Insect

Sat April 7, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Stick Insect seems to have averaged one or two EVs a year since 2013-or so, and I think I have attempted/solved most of them, but this is the first of his I have … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1322 – Aide-mémoire by Gaston

Sat March 31, 2018 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

“Despite being a 13, Gaston works at the 21 (both clued by wordplay only). All other across clues are normal, though four thematic pairs of suitably positioned entries are unclued. Wordplay in all but the final down clue leads to the answer and an additional letter not to be entered into the grid; in clue order these spell out an AIDE-MÉMOIRE to help Gaston remember the correct sequence of unclued entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”

Enigmatic Variations 1321 Common by Vismut

Sun March 25, 2018 at 6:36 pmSat March 24, 2018 at 12:40 am by twencelas

It’s spring and the snow drops from the sky, rather than growing up from the earth. A puzzle from Vismut – a new compiler for me. 4 additional words in across answers which … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1320: Keith by Opsimath

Sat March 17, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A delightfully short preamble this week: In KEITH, solvers must complete the unclued row (13, four words), and then highlight the symmetrically placed six-letter surnames of four people most closely associated with the … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1319: Vive la Différence by Harribobs

Thu March 15, 2018 at 4:45 pmSat March 10, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Oh dear…this makes three of the last four EVs that I have failed to complete… Am I losing my touch? Should I be handing in my pencil and heading for the rocking chair, with a … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1318 – Six Authors in Search of a Character by Ifor

Sat March 3, 2018 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

“The perimeter contains the surnames of SIX AUTHORS, reading clockwise from top left and referred to as 1 to 6 in that order in the six blocks. Solvers IN SEARCH OF A CHARACTER (or pair of characters) to be written in the vacant cell in each block will find them appearing in no particular order in the six shaded cells. Each BLOCK RECIPE DIFFERS, as the unchecked perimeter letters spell out. All clues contain an extra letter, to be removed before solving and always leaving a real word; when read in clue order these will assist. Numbers in brackets give cells available; the Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”