Ah, a game from Jacques to pass the time on a Sunday. Well, I’m game. What its name? ‘Name Game’. A shame my fame came… ah, phooey. I’ve never been any good at writing these intros.
Enigmatic Variations
Enigmatic Variations 1090 With the Beatles by Salamanca
Some transformation of answers in this week’s offering from Salamanca and a connection with John, Paul, George and Ringo perhaps. So what cunning device has Salamanca employed to transform the answers. It took … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1089: Choreography by Kea
Kea’s puzzles are normally at the trickier end of the spectrum, certainly those in the Listener series. Time would tell whether I was in for a hard time this week or not. My … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1088: Aarrgghh by Samuel
Well, belay there ye landlubbers – Cap’n Samuel has a piratical offering in celebration of ‘International Speak Like A Pirate Day‘ (an event which, I have to admit, had passed me by until I set … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1087 – Ambiguities by Piccadilly
I am reliably informed that the word ‘ambiguity’ comes from the Latin ambi-, eaning both ways, and agere, meaning to drive. Will this puzzle take the easy road or will it drive the solver crazy?
Enigmatic Variations 1086 Dance with Two Cheats by Shark
This week – extra letters in the wordplay spelling out a line form a verse and its source. Two further lines from the verse then must be applied to the completed grid to … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1085: Unreliable by Kcit
A seemingly straightforward puzzle from Kcit this week. There were only four misplaced clues to identify, each lacking a common definition. The absence of misprints and missing/extra letters in clues made it a … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1084: Means by Chalicea
What does it all ‘mean’? Do I have the ‘means’ to solve this puzzle? The preamble is fairly clear to start with – 1A and 41A are thematic, with 41A being a description of … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1083 – Identification by Kruger
O me miserum! Mea culpa and de gustibus non est disputandum! Late again! My apologies to Kruger and to all 15^2 readers. I hereby pledge that if another blog is late then I will donate £20 to some good cause or other. But for now, on with the blog!
Enigmatic Variations 1082 Twosome by Moordon
So this week’s fare comprises 12 unclued symmetrical placed entries around the perimeter and 6 clues without definitions (with the word play missing the letter that intersects the perimeter) – otherwise a straight crossword – so … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1081: Welcome! by Samuel
This week we had the first solo puzzle from Samuel since he took over the EV editorship. (In case you didn’t know, he made up one third of Samphiry, responsible for EV 1079 … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1080: ATOL by Owzat
In ‘ATOL’, the preamble tells us that a ‘specific’ 10D of nine letters is formed by the addition of seven letters to answers to seven clues which are not ‘fully clued’. Each addition … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1079 – Roles by Samphiry
A monster preamble this time – and all the excitement associated with a grid of many colours.
What we learn is that the puzzle’s subject plays 4 roles and is known by a particular pseudonym to Enigmatic Variations solvers. These roles and pseudonym are given respectively by corrections to lights and extra letters from subsidiary indications. Further background to the roles is given by 2 normal clues per role. Phew!
Enigmatic Variations 1078 Before and After by Kcit
Quite a complex preamble – 9 unclued entries, 11 with redundant words and 5 with redundant phrases and if that isn’t enough a central square to complete at the end. This was certainly … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1077: A Figure produced by Oxymoron
It’s always a pleasure to blog an Oxymoron (or Schadenfreude!) puzzle, and this one was titled A Figure produced by Oxymoron—intriguing! Only eleven misprint clues this week, the balance being made up of … Read more >>