Guardian

An interesting Araucaria today, the clues not being particularly fiendish in their construction but requiring a fairly wide vocabulary (or perhaps today just happened to hit the weak spots in my knowledge). Across … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram As usual, the Don entertains, titillates and … Read more >>

Back to traditional Monday fare with Rufus. Ernjoyable and pretty easy going, though with a couple of words that are perhaps slightly obscure. I have one or two minor quibbles, noted below. Key: … Read more >>

Solving time: about 15 mins A while ago I was playing Articulate! when the name Anton Chekhov came up. This was described to my team as “a Russian chess player”. Easy, we thought. … Read more >>

Not too tricky for a Gordius puzzle, but with a few that needed some time to work out the wordplay. [Links to the puzzle as HTML, PDF and Java Applet] Across 1. LANCELOT … Read more >>

Quite a challenge today, mainly due to the problems with getting started in such an interlocking grid.  Once 15dn was cracked the rest became easier, however. Across 7. SCARLET. A reference to Will … Read more >>

I found this mostly very easy, with just a few clues preventing a complete walkover. I have quibbles about 12ac, 18ac and 3dn, but generally it was all pretty sound, if not terribly … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Quite an easy puzzle with the conflict … Read more >>

Something of a surprise – but by no means an unpleasant one – to see Brendan on a Monday. Brendan’s puzzles often have a theme and, after my miserable failure with Fungie last … Read more >>

Solving time: 9 mins A very good puzzle from Taupi with a couple of superb anagrams at 1ac and 8dn. 14ac (CLEAN) caused me the most trouble, but overall I thought this wasn’t … Read more >>

Well, I’m not complaining about lack of humour today – nor that the puzzle was too easy! I found this quite a challenge, not least in the parsing, but very rewarding, thanks to … Read more >>

I’ve been a bit unkind about Rover in the past, and I was hoping to be proved wrong in this one, but unfortunately there are a few rather weak definitions and a bad … Read more >>

A themed puzzle with one clue still puzzling me (3D) Across 1 BLIXEN: BLIX (Dr Hans Blix of WMD fame) + EN (directions); Karen Blixen, author, 1885-1992 4 MIX-UPS: homophone for MICK SUPS … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Bonxie must be a war enthusiast, something … Read more >>

I’m afraid I’m under thesis deadline pressure this week, but my partner very kindly offered to write notes on this one, so I’m just reposting what she wrote… [Links to the puzzle as … Read more >>