Enigmatic Variations

Ah, forgive me. Once again, the days run away from me and you are left without your due, a run down of EV972. I read somewhere that Oxymoron was considered “scrupulously fair”. I … Read more >>

So clashes in across and downs this week will define a track with non-clashing clues containing a misprint which will guide you on your way. Also some thematic unclued entries to deduce. Sounds … Read more >>

Having just finished spending far too long tearing my hair out on Sabre’s latest Listener, it was a pleasant relief to tackle Chalicea’s first EV puzzle. Correct letters of misprints spelt out a … Read more >>

What a preamble?! An author and one of his works to be found in the grid. Another thematic phrase to be resolved from clashing entries in the grid. And there’s more… Wow. Educational…eventually…once the … Read more >>

This was my favourite EV for some time. It was also one of the easiest, which – I insist – is entirely coincidental. Who would have thought that any language needed a word … Read more >>

Well all straight clues this week  – apart from 4 with missing directions (N,E,W,S) to allow the correct quadrant of the carte-blanche grid to be completed – which means no clue numbers and … Read more >>

A fairly straightforward offering from Rustic this week: solve the clues, move a letter to the perimeter and reveal a quotation and the person it describes. Each clue was two clues side by … Read more >>

With the preamble to this EV referring to an assertion by an unclued ‘somebody’ in ‘something’, also unclued, and recommending use of a dictionary of quotations, I don’t think it is giving too much … Read more >>

I found this rather tougher than some of the recent offerings and even thought for some time that I might be forced to throw in the towel. In fact, there were two clues … Read more >>

So no grid numbers this week – just a list of straight clues in alphabetical order of their grid entry, forming an alphabetical jigsaw. After the majority have been entered, the remaining grid … Read more >>

A fairly straightforward puzzle this week, certainly one of Kruger’s easier ones … perhaps to help us meet the one day earlier deadline. What’s more, no extra letters, words or misprints to worry … Read more >>

That title, a grid with a big ‘X’ in the middle, and a preamble indicating that there were eight clashing cells, extra letters in word play would lead to instructions, and a ‘route’ to be … Read more >>

The last few EVs have been pretty tough, so I was glad that Salamanca’s offering was on the easy side. The main bulk of thematic material was found in ten undefined entries. Once … Read more >>

Well – what is the Hobson’s choice of the title to be this week to complete it or to complete it? A fairly standard preamble – additional letters in the subsidiary quotation lead … Read more >>

I thought that this was a tough puzzle from Dysart. The preamble seemed to have so much going on that I needed a bit of a lie down after reading it. That, together … Read more >>