Guardian

A very entertaining theme for this prize crossword, and nicely hidden in the relevant surface(s). My only real problem was an explanation for 28ac Across 1. VASECTOMY. V(ery) + A SEC + TOM … Read more >>

Solving and blogging in a rush today – thankfully, I found it fairly easy with the exception of 24ac which I’m unsure on. Liked 4dn. Across 1 MASTERLY (steam)* + RLY 5 PAMPAS … Read more >>

After yesterday’s struggles with Enigmatist, I found this one mostly quite easy, except that 7dn stumped me for ages, and caused some problems with its crossing words too. Some tricky wordplay here, and … Read more >>

OK I have to admit defeat today – I really enjoyed the novelty of the elaborately long down clues but ended up unable to explain 16ac or completely nail 7dn. Across 8. SPACEMAN. … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Thank you, Brendan for yet another of … Read more >>

I thought this was easier than normal for a Chifonie puzzle, but a good level of difficulty for a Monday and satisfying to solve. [Links to the puzzle as HTML, PDF and Java … Read more >>

I’m standing in on this puzzle for Rightback, who is away. The 40th anniversary that was celebrated was the Woostock festival, which opened on 15 August 1969. There were also some links to … Read more >>

Having an appalling ignorance of history, I found this difficult, and only worked out the theme after filling the grid and Googling the names. The joke is that CABALLEROs might have been members … Read more >>

This is just the level of difficulty I like on a Thursday – hard to crack into, but ultimately yielding its solutions with some persistence and nothing feeling ‘unfair’. Across 9. GASTROPUB. BUG< … Read more >>

A delightful tribute to the late Albie Fiore by the double-act of Enigmatist and Paul. Naturally I was able to fill in 18ac immediately, but some of the other clues held me up … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram ACROSS 1 HANDEL Sounds like handle (name) … Read more >>

Back to Rufus for Monday morning and a good example of how a puzzle can be perfectly straightforward and still enjoyable and satisfying. We have Rufus’ characteristic wit and elegance in the surfaces, … Read more >>

Solving time: 18:42, almost half of which on three clues. I enjoyed this but got stuck on 16dn (ALFRESCO), 21dn (WHALE) and finally 8dn (FULMINATED). Other than the ‘bard’s friend’ in 21dn there … Read more >>

There’s a mini-theme of improbability going on here, in 14, 18ac, 4dn and 24dn etc. There are one or two rather lame charades, I think, but an entertaining puzzle on the whole, as … Read more >>

Tough going with Araucaria today. I got 22/21 quickly, which led immediately to 15/14 and a couple of others, but still struggled to finish it. There were a few references that I had … Read more >>