Guardian

Solving time: 7:55 The 9 thematic answers (starred below) were all historical figures with whom the epithet ‘Great’ is associated. No Alexander, but there are some famous examples such as Alfred, Catherine and … Read more >>

Very enjoyable today,  quite a few c.d.s which seems to be a Gordius trait. d.d. = Double definition c.d. = Cryptic definition “” = homophone * = anagram Across 1. ACCRETION. AC(C. + … Read more >>

Quite an easy crossword today, but with a few disappointing clues, I thought (e.g. 13, 14, 6, 7) … There are a few things I didn’t understand, but I’m sure people will be … Read more >>

Ran out of time, so incomplete. Took me ages to get the April Fool material. Mind you, I had been expecting this! Across 9,27 SPAGHETTI TREE: anagram of PIES THE TARGET; April Fools’ … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram The conventional approach to solving a clue … Read more >>

A rare Monday outing for Araucaria, and a puzzle that was mostly fairly easy, though with a couple of shaky definitions and some dubious wordplay. The grid is a bit strange, being almost … Read more >>

Solving time: 11:08 A rare Saturday outing for Gordius, which I think was of about the same level of difficulty as his occasional weekday puzzles. Some clever stuff here with a good sprinkling … Read more >>

Mostly quite a straightforward puzzle today, with some extremely easy clues, though there are a few obscurities that could cause hold-ups. I also seem to have found quite a few nits to pick … Read more >>

Quite easy for a thursday I thought, but I was left with a couple of quibbles and uncertainties. These were balanced by the highly enjoyable 9ac, 11ac and 25ac. dd = double definition … Read more >>

A fun puzzle from Brendan with a theme of name changes. I’m afraid I’m not likely to be able to update this post with any corrections until much later today. Across 8. SIDE … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram In another private crossword group that I … Read more >>

Another gentle start to the week from Rufus, with, typically, perhaps more cryptic [some rather more so than others!] and double definitions than some would like but some clever anagrams and nice surfaces. … Read more >>

Solving time: A couple of days (10dn and 14dn wrong). Not in one sitting, I ought to add. In fact two thirds of this came out pretty quickly, but I then hit a … Read more >>