FT

Plenty of anagrams made this an easy ride. I have questions at one or two places, indicated along with the answers to clues. Across 1 SPHERICAL (CAR IS HELP)* 6 OASIS O (ring) … Read more >>

Bradman seems to be cropping up quite regularly in the Thursday slot of late, which is fortunate for me from a blogworthiness standpoint.  14A features a potentially new clue type (the subjective &lit), … Read more >>

Monday Prize Crossword on 25 January 2010 Once again, Dante charms us with his smooth and slick surfaces for a gentle introduction to another FT week. Some of his cryptic definitions are priceless … Read more >>

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 23 Here’s a themed puzzle (lots of iron and irons) with a theme that there’s nothing to figure out about. And a theme that is … Read more >>

I’m sorry to say that I found this puzzle rather uninspiring, though that may just be me. Some of the surfaces seemed contrived, or made little sense, and the nature of the wordplay meant … Read more >>

One clue I can’t quite figure out (5 down); I’m sure someone will help. Across 1 RABBIT WARREN RABBIT (gas, as in to talk excessively) WAR (conflict) RE (on) N (new) 8 POLENTA … Read more >>

A very good puzzle, I thought. Smooth surfaces throughout, and nothing too obscure other than one look-up I needed for 11a. Picks for best clues: BLUEBOTTLE, WREN Across 1 BACKHANDER HAND (cards) in … Read more >>

A new(ish?) setter –  Styx seems to be very fastidious about the surface reading of the clues, as these are universally “natural” and concise.  However, this flawlessness is almost to a fault in … Read more >>

Monday Prize Crossword on 18 January 2010 Another easy introduction to the FT week. This puzzle has a wide variety of devices and would be ideal training ground for newbies. ACROSS 1 READ … Read more >>

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 16 I found this puzzle a good bit harder than the average Cincinnus, especially the top-right corner. I got 5A and 7D quickly but the … Read more >>

An enjoyable solve today. We were told that the answers to asterisked clues had something in common. Fortunately I had come across 13dn in a previous puzzle otherwise I might have had a … Read more >>

I enjoyed solving this puzzle but when it came to writing the blog I realized there were several clues that I wasn’t quite happy with, as noted below.  That said, I thought there … Read more >>

Straightforward stuff today, with a mini-theme of furniture. Many cryptic and double definitions but none that truly sparkled. 20d stood out for its cleverly positioned hyphen at line-break. Across 1 SCHOOL cd 4 … Read more >>

Good stuff, as usual, from Mudd; including some decent treatment of rather mundane words or devices. I also liked the grid design, which allowed for a nice balance of checking patterns. I don’t … Read more >>

Monday Prize Crossword on 11 January 2010 Back to Dante for another not-so-taxing week-opener with some delightful cryptic definitions and double definitions. However, I suspect Dante may have got his mythologies mixed up … Read more >>