Enigmatic Variations – Page 30

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.”

Enigmatic Variations 1317 Losers by March

Sat February 24, 2018 at 10:46 amSat February 24, 2018 at 12:01 am by twencelas

Eleven unclued answers, but all the clues are normal then four cells to highlight (the missing item that could n’t be kept). A short preamble indeed but is it also a short solve? … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1316: Necessary Exposure by Oxymoron

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

A fairly short preamble this week, and no special clue types. An easy week for me… NOT! In NECESSARY EXPOSURE, 15 answers are entered normally; all other answers must be partially treated before … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1315: Get Ready by Samuel

Sat February 10, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Our esteemed EV editor has clearly decided that jigsaws are for life, not just for Christmas! At least on alternate weeks, as this is the second Samuel jigsaw I have blogged in a … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1314 – Moonlighting by Chalicea

Thu February 8, 2018 at 2:43 pmSat February 3, 2018 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

’11dn, when MOONLIGHTING, is appropriately positioned in relation to the 15ac between 44 and 10, and carried the other unclued entries. Solvers must highlight its creator (seven cells); Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.’

Enigmatic Variations 1313 Uncommon Happiness by Kcit

Sat January 27, 2018 at 9:41 am by twencelas

A double carte blanche with 2 missing clues and merged clues. At least the clues in are normal order, albeit without the word lengths. If that was not enough, a four word phrase … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1312: Ranting by Shark

Sat January 20, 2018 at 5:39 amSat January 20, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A fairly simple preamble greeted us this week: In RANTING, eight answers must be altered thematically on entry; clues to these answers consist of a definition for the answer, and wordplay leading to … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1311: Given Up by Samuel

Sat January 13, 2018 at 12:25 pmSat January 13, 2018 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Ah…the Christmas period – turkey, presents, carols, family, arguments, board games, arguments…and, of course, jigsaws! Followed, or accompanied, by more arguments… OK, this jigsaw came out on 31 December, so slightly post-Christmas, but what is … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1310 – More Crackers by Charismatix

Sun January 7, 2018 at 2:17 pmSat January 6, 2018 at 2:19 pm by Mister Sting

“Nine clues consist of jokes that might be found in CRACKERS; the grid entry in each case is the punchline. In 40 clues, the wordplay leads to the answer plus an additional letter not to be entered in the grid; in clue order these give another joke, the punchline to which (13 letters) must be highlighted. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”

Enigmatic Variations 1309 Most Suitable by Kruger

Sat December 30, 2017 at 12:28 pmSat December 30, 2017 at 12:05 am by twencelas

Sixteen additional words in clues to be removed and 10 answers requiring treatment before grid entry. But no clue as to that treatment until the 16 are found and their first or last … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1308: Fitting by MynoT

Sat December 23, 2017 at 10:21 amSat December 23, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

I had the dubious honour of blogging MynoT’s last EV, No 1280 Occasional Item of Furniture which required all answers to be encoded using the element numbers from the periodic table. I hoped … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No. 1307: Classic by Hedge-Sparrow

Sat December 16, 2017 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

Chambers defines CLASSIC as, among other things, a great writer or work; a particular horse race; (in plural) Greek or Latin studies; a stylish clothing look. But which of these does Hedge-Sparrow, or Prunella … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1306 – A Drop in the Ocean by Chalicea

Sat December 9, 2017 at 12:01 am by Mister Sting

“In A DROP IN THE OCEAN, six solutions, when entered correctly, have spaces into which solvers must appropriately move a thematic item which, carrying 19 and 22, ran into trouble at 25 and broke 36, finally settling on the 47. The wordplay in each across clue leads to the answer and an additional letter not to be entered into the grid; these letters give a further instruction. Initial and final grids, ignoring empty cells, contain only real words.”