Guardian

Auster is Australian by origin, which may explain some Antipodean references in her puzzle today.  Unusually, there is only one full anagram, and only a few partial ones.  I’ve left out one or … Read more >>

This was a mix of accessible and impossible without wikipedia: unless you’re a Blake scholar, I had to reread “Jerusalem” to make head or tail. I’m also stymied by 13A which is unrelated … Read more >>

Struggled with this for a while, but got there in the end. Several nice clues in here, and nothing too difficult, although I had to guess 13dn and at some of the wordplay. … Read more >>

As an occasional sub now, I’ll try to remember the rules – bear with me. In keeping with my philosophy that daily puzzles should be doable without recourse to reference works, there are a … Read more >>

Solving time: About 15 mins I think. The eight answers clued by definition wordplay only (asterisked below) were all types of camera, which took me a long time to spot; I think a … Read more >>

Common abbreviations used dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade * = anagram A soft start to the week but fun … Read more >>

Common abbreviations used dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade * = anagram What a lovely day this has been. Yesterday’s … Read more >>

Harder than the average Paul today – or maybe my brain is slow in sympathy with this BT Broadband connection. ACROSS 8 THERE ARE NO FLIES ON HIM – tracksuit bottoms rarely come … Read more >>

A clever &lit and near &lit or two made this a pleasant pastime to enjoy alone. As it were. Especially, 16D. Although there’s the obligatory Britclue which escapes me (13A). Across 1 TRANCE … Read more >>

Some difficult clues here. I couldn’t follow the clue for 24dn. Can it be that it has gone west? Across 1 HIGHLIGHT: HIGH (drunk) + LIGHT (answer to clue) 6 CLIME: CrIME with … Read more >>

Common abbreviations used dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade * = anagram An easy start to the week on a … Read more >>

[Note: I’m posting this on Friday afternoon as I’m away for the weekend (off to Dublin to watch Radiohead on Saturday night). I hope this is ok, as the deadline for entries was … Read more >>

I suppose the kindest thing I could say about this puzzle is that it probably provides a gentle introduction to daily cryptic crosswords for the novice.  As a hard-bitten and long-in-the-tooth solver, I … Read more >>

Common abbreviations used dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade * = anagram I am ever so blessed with my Guardian … Read more >>

I was sorry to hear of the death of Eric Burge, who I’ve “only” known through his Quantum crosswords in The Guardian. To a non-crossworder, it would seem that I should therefore hardly … Read more >>