Enigmatic Variations

So three unclued entries and a connection between them (visible in the final grid). There are also 2 currently relevant words to find making a total of 54 letters to highlight. Now that’s … Read more >>

In this week’s puzzle, 16 clues needed to have a word in the definition unmixed after the removal of one letter, these removed letters giving a range of ingredients. I can’t believe this … Read more >>

The preamble refers to a quotation which links the three unclued entries – indicating one as being a choice between the other two. The speaker is hidden in the grid, and extra letters … Read more >>

On a first reading, the preamble doesn’t give one a lot to go on: “Though they’re far from alone, seven unclued answers according to two others (taken as a pair) 9, which might … Read more >>

All clues are normal this week! Surely not in an EV – Ah but all answers are modified, that’s more like it and there are some blank squares to boot, exhibiting horizontal symmetry … Read more >>

Kcit’s last EV, Wind, was only six weeks ago and a bit of a tester. Here we had misprints which would lead to a two-word message which would show how to interpret the … Read more >>

Now I enjoy a good pub crawl, as much as the next (semi-)alcoholic, apart from the inevitable morning after, but I found this one particularly tough going – almost like suffering the hangover whilst you … Read more >>

Balancing Acts, eh? What sort of acrobatics does Nudd have in store? He/She/It tells us to highlight “the work in which the quotation was originally attributed”. That’s an odd instruction – what can … Read more >>

So some shaded squares this week to help define the problem and 6 clues to be entered in a non standard way to indicate the title. Other than that everything is straight forward. Is it … Read more >>

A fairly small grid this week, 11 × 11, and consequently fewer clues than normal as well. Across answers were to be entered with a letter missing, subsidiary indications being to the entered … Read more >>

With the new football season only a week or two away, and given the title, and the preamble indicating that 8 answers have to be replaced (substituted?), one could be forgiven for expecting this to be … Read more >>

I haven’t looked at an EV for the best part of four months but when the scheduled blogger wrote to me to say that he had been unable to solve this one I … Read more >>

Well what a preamble – redundant letters spell out a phrase concerning one of the puzzle’s numbers. Then it entered the world of Edward Lear, in my opinion – I’ll save decoding its … Read more >>

Ifor is a relatively new setter whose recent puzzles I have enjoyed. His latest Listener (4137: Frightened Catherine), was fairly tricky, and his last EV (956: Ego Problem) was quite amusing! There were … Read more >>

A double dose of Samuel this week, with the (rather more light-hearted?) Inquisitor 1183 in the Indy on Saturday as well. The preamble here indicated a quotation from extra letters in wordplay, a thematic … Read more >>