Never knowingly undersolved
Puzzle 1234 – whilst not a round number a nice one. This brings a puzzle from Gila with a portrait to be found. Additional words in clues interspersed with extra letters in wordplay … Read more >>
This week I have to grapple with Shark. He can be one tough setter, predominantly creating D-grade puzzles for Magpie. (FYI D-grades are very tough, but just short of E-grades which are impossible!) … Read more >>
On first inspection of SOMETHING ISN’T THERE, I had a touch of the Rumsfelds – there are ‘known unknowns’, and there might well be some ‘unknown unknowns’… Will Samuel be using his weapons of … Read more >>
This is my second ‘enter where they will fit’ puzzle in a row. I normally enjoy these, but this one has an additional element on top of the cold solving – ten answers must be ‘thematically treated’.
A perimeter to be filled in with a maxim and its author – this depicts people who win or lose? And must be obeyed before entering all answers. A bit of a chicken … Read more >>
A smaller than average grid for me this week — just 11×11 and 22 cells to be highlighted. Each across clue contained an extra thematic word, the first letters of which give an … Read more >>
What will EV solvers find at the ‘Artix Circle’?…A vast expanse of whiteness for a start! With no numbers and very few bars, we have ourselves another jigsaw EV…albeit at least with the … Read more >>
Thinking Outside the Box is an ‘enter where they will fit’ puzzle. These typically require a lot of cold solving, so we’re (more than usually) at the mercy of the setter. If the clues are very difficult, these take a great deal of work. So how much thinking – inside or outside the box – will Piccadilly’s puzzle require?
Down clues are normal – always a good start. Acrosses however have alternate misprints in the definition or wordplay. The misprints yield what is partly forbidden and does not appear. One down entry … Read more >>
Gaston’s last puzzle (no. 1191, Briefing Received) had the I before E rule/exception as its theme. I remember enjoying that puzzle, especially the highlighting which gave a large I and E in the … Read more >>
SUBTITLES ticks several EV boxes: unnumbered thematic clues to be inserted where they fit; but first jumbled with a letter removed – removed letters forming thematic names; misprints in some definitions giving more thematic … Read more >>
The puzzle comes in the form of an old-style treasure map with ‘cryptic’ instructions. Buccaneers, cutlasses, captains, pirates, and booty are among the various apparently thematic elements that appear in the clues, but will they help us find the treasure or will Cap’n Gown’s hoard prove elusive?
Six across clue answers need jumbling and adding a letter – six down clue answers need jumbling and losing a letter. The added and lost letters then give the main words of a … Read more >>
Firstly, apologies to bloggees and, especially, Harribobs for the late posting of this blog. I thought it was my turn this coming weekend. Wrong! (And I haven’t even solved it yet!) This was … Read more >>
This was quite challenging (for me, at least) and, if it wasn’t a blogging week, it might have been quietly put to one side and walked away from! I just about managed to … Read more >>