Guardian

I enjoyed this one – quite a few nice clues. (3 of my last 8 blog posts have been on Gordius puzzles, as it turns out…) Across 4. SADDEN ADD = “increase” in … Read more >>

I’ve had a run of Araucaria recently, and was hit by a pang of fear when I saw how many clues referred to 11ac today.  However, once that clue fell I relaxed as … Read more >>

A tour-de-force of linked clues and clever wordplay from Brendan that is exceptional even by his high standards. Unfortunately I’ve had to solve and blog this in rather a hurry before catching an … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram A delightful puzzle centred around GAME (answer … Read more >>

Starting the week off with Rufus. A typical enjoyable Rufus crossword with a high number of cryptic definitions. Across 8 SICK NOTE: anagram of TICKS ONE 9 LARVA: R in LAVA (burning issue) … Read more >>

Solving time: 14 mins, about half of which on 7dn (TOMATO PUREE) and 10ac (GROOM). I enjoyed this as much as any Guardian puzzle of recent times. The highlight is probably the remarkable … Read more >>

A rather mixed bag today, with one or two nice clues but also several doubtful double / cryptic definitions and a couple of unusual anagram indicators. Across !   SANDWICH COURSE: double / cryptic … Read more >>

At first I thought Crucible was a new setter, but I see he (?) has appeared a few times, most recently in September this year. Not surprisingly, Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot … Read more >>

A cracking effort from Araucaria, that left me scratching my head for most of my lunchtime today. There’s often debate about what sort of knowledge is acceptable to assume on the part of … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram After Enigmatist’s tough puzzle last week, this … Read more >>

A fun and quite quick puzzle to start the week. 12d and 25a were the troublesome ones for me. Across 1. COMPASS CO = “firm” + M = “a thousand” + PASS = … Read more >>

Solving time: 20 mins plus another couple of days mulling over 13dn and 25ac. I’m afraid I thought this was a poor puzzle. There is a strange theme with the phrase ‘dead-end’ (or, … Read more >>

I guessed the planetary theme almost immediately, knowing that “planet” means “wanderer”, from the fact that the planets move in the sky relative to the so-called “fixed stars”. It’s not a complete set: … Read more >>

Across 1 PENANCE PENCE around AN 5 LAMPREY LAM+PREY 10 SPRY SPY i.e. “mole” around R[esistance] 11 APOTHEOSIS (Sophie ‘as to)* 12 PRESTO PO around REST – a spider is one of the … Read more >>