Guardian

A very Monday-ish puzzle from Vulcan today; though light on the cryptic definitions, unusually. A quick but pleasant solve: thanks to Vulcan.             Across 1. BESIDE THE POINT Behind … Read more >>

It’s lovely to get a chance to write a post about a Brendan crossword – he’s one of my favourite setters, and he only appears about once a month in the Guardian. This … Read more >>

A typical Paul puzzle that was not easy but gave up its secrets at a satisfying rate, with a couple of bits of schoolboy humour in the mix. As usual Paul is hosting … Read more >>

Thanks to Nutmeg for an enjoyable puzzle; some nice wordplay indicators. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 8. Leading lady’s retreat just after party goes west (8) BALMORAL : MORAL(just/proper) placed after(after) … Read more >>

For some reason the scheduled blogger has been unable to turn up today so here is an analysis of the clues. Please excuse any typos but cataract removal has made viewing my monitor … Read more >>

I was surprised to see Picaroon’s name on this puzzle, less than two weeks since I blogged his last one. Needless to say, I am not complaining – but it’s too soon to … Read more >>

A pleasant and nicely-clued start to the week – my favourites were 13ac, 17ac, 2dn, and 14dn. Thanks to Pan   ACROSS 1 HOT-WATER BOTTLE Misguided betrothal to wet bedfellow? (3-5,6) (betrothal to … Read more >>

Two solutions ending in “loo”, yet no toilet references in their clues! In his invitation to his Zoom session (I didn’t participate) which coincided with the publication of this puzzle, Paul raised the … Read more >>

Another in a string of tricky puzzles over the past few days. Lots of fun, my favourites were 11ac, 15ac, 23ac, 26ac, and 18dn. Thanks to Paul …there’s an obvious fish theme in … Read more >>

Phew, that was hard, made harder by the rather unfriendly grid, though the split answer at 1,13 and the cross-reference between 6 and 17 helped a bit. I wasn’t sure of some parsings … Read more >>

A typically tough Vlad puzzle that will wake up your little grey cells. This was a fine puzzle, as long as your politics are not too right wing, as there are digs at … Read more >>

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28197. A not too difficult offering from Qaos, with, as usual, a theme: musical instruments. There are a few borderline cases – SIREN (yes, there are various … Read more >>