Enigmatic Variations

A short preamble instructs solvers to consider ‘SENTRY DUTIES’ in ‘thematically treating’ 12 answers before entry, to create new words. So far so good. But then we are told: ‘How the remaining answers … Read more >>

There’s a lot going on in the preamble: a partial quotation, CLASHes ‘contributing to’ a further CLASH, those involved in the CLASH and – just for good measure – a final CLASH to … Read more >>

So straight clues this week apart from seven with no definition (with a thematic treatment) and six unclued. So what will the “Two of a Kind” prove to be? This was a puzzle … Read more >>

A seemingly straightforward puzzle this week, but I was sure it wouldn’t turn out to be free of a trick or two. There were no extra/missing letters/words or misprints in the clues, just … Read more >>

A cryptic title, hinting maybe at Columbo, with his dour demeanour and down-at-heel dress sense? The preamble tells us to find a horizontally-symmetrical four word quotation, and twelve answers needing some sort of adjustment … Read more >>

With this sort of DIY grid puzzle, it all depends how easy cold-solving is. So how easy is this going to be? And what’s the puzzle actually called? In fact, in addition to … Read more >>

Lego – now that’s something you can never get tired of playing with! A nice short and sweet preamble with extra letters in the down clues giving an instruction to solvers. All relatively … Read more >>

A lot going on in the preamble here, but everything was spelt out relatively clearly! There were extra letters in subsidiary indications which, together with three unclued entries, gave a quotation from the … Read more >>

Food for thought this week, with SARNIES on the menu from Syd Lexis. Not much else to chew on for starters – with an unnumbered and only partially-barred grid…but at least Across and Down … Read more >>

I do like Samuel. I can’t remember exactly which past EVs were his, but his name is associated in my mind with a sort of pleasant, hazy, possibly-toughish-in-parts-but-fair feeling. Perhaps I’m post-rationalising, because … Read more >>

Well a short preamble – completely straight clues and just five unclued entries. Sounds like this could be one for the less experienced to try. And an unfamiliar compiler, to me, anyway. Nine … Read more >>

I’ve come across a couple of Shark puzzles before and have been nicely entertained by them. Here, subsidiary indications led to an extra letter not entered, and they spelt out part of a … Read more >>

What delights does Warbler have in store for us with A TRIP OUT? A magical mystery tour? A druggy ‘trip’? Or maybe a wildlife safari – is that ‘OUT’ an anagrind, with TAPIR as A … Read more >>

This was magnificent. A great theme, well executed. Many thanks to… well, to whom, exactly? There seems to be a fair amount going on – unclued entries, additional words and subsidiary indications, and … Read more >>

So 10 unclued entries this week, and all in a “depleted” form. And either one or two letters have been added to some clues (whenever thematically possible) . All very cryptic – ah … Read more >>