FT

The easiest crossword I’ve done in quite some time leading to my first ever “clean-sweep” (I think this is a technical term meaning that you solve every clue in a puzzle in order, … Read more >>

Solving Time:  26 minutes The answer to my question is contained in today’s 1 across.  Another nice puzzle and, I’m pleased to say, a great deal easier than his appearance as Pasquale in … Read more >>

Another elegant puzzle from Cincinnus that I found a bit more difficult than most of his. Across 1. TERMINALLY – TALLY about ERMIN[e] 7. SURE – S[nake] + URE, the Ure being a … Read more >>

Some good-humoured stuff from Cinephile. A little lighter on thematic content than I’ve come to expect from him, although he did exploit the idiosyncrasies of this FT-specific grid (effectively four separate quadrants) to fill … Read more >>

Solving Time: 14 minutes Fairly straightforward fare with a couple of nice off-the-wall clues.  Bit baffled by 24 down. ACROSS   * = Anagram  (r) = Reversal  (CD) =  Cryptic definition 1  MEMBER (RE)MEMBER 5  … Read more >>

Please excuse the late posting; I was not near a PC earlier in the day. This proved to be just the right flavour of puzzle for my footloose Friday, not overly challenging or … Read more >>

I’ve updated the setters page today with details about the FT setters.

Across 1. OTT,A(W)A 9. PRO FIT 12. PLAYGOER 13. STANCE – A golf ref. 16. SCARECROWS (soccer wars)* 19. SPRING ROLL 20. FETA – fate* 23. MEADOW (a mowed)* 25. RE(LAPSE)D 27. TIDEMARK … Read more >>

(Finally showed up on the FT site — couldn’t find paper copy). In his FT persona, Araucaria is hardly less… um… what’s the word? Challenging? Anyway, the usual breathtaking surfaces (one or two … Read more >>

Across 5 CREW in SS – I hesitated about filling this one in because I couldn’t see how “props” could be a definition for SCREWS. I’ve just looked it up and found there … Read more >>

Across 1. BACKFIRE – BACK + FIRE 5. ARCTIC – C in ARTIC (artic being an abbreviation of articulated lorry) 9. PECTORAL – anagram of CLEOPATR. One of the breast anagram indicators I’ve … Read more >>

An unusual balance of clue types here, I thought.  Not often that you see double definitions and homophones (x6 and x2 respectively, by my tally) account for over a quarter of the clues … Read more >>

I found this very straightforward and a quick solve but there were a few nice touches. Just a short review because most of the clues are reasonably self-explanatory but if anyone’s unsure of … Read more >>

Across 1. ANTENATAL CLINIC – cryptic def. issue=children 9. TH(e)ROW,IN 10. NUT,CASE 11. ELITE (hidden) 12. DEODORANT (too darned)* – good surface. 13. ETRUSCANS (runes cast)* 15. C,HAIR – ‘Hair’ is a musical … Read more >>

Are you impressed with Cincinnus? I am more and more mightily impressed with Cincinnus. I find my view of various compilers being deepened and refined by the task of blogging their puzzles. What … Read more >>