Guardian

I don’t much like this grid, with its four almost-isolated corners. Luckily there were enough easyish clues in each corner to get me going, though the SE corner held me up for a … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Another delightful assigment as I get to … Read more >>

A fairly enjoyable puzzle. The wording of some of the clues seemed a little odd to me. Across 7 BANDAGES  BAND(AGE)S 9 OPORTO  O(PORT)O 10 SKIN  S+KIN = HIDE 11 ELEMENTARY  cryptic def. … Read more >>

This was a difficult puzzle today, I thought, although I tend to find Araucaria’s crosswords harder than the other Guardian setters. As usual, there are some really satisfying clues here and great surface … Read more >>

I found this fairly easy going, even for a Monday. Mainly composed of a few anagrams, double-definitions and more than the usual amount of cryptic definitions, it was a nice distraction but not … Read more >>

From Prize Crossword 24,463 – 9 August 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = … Read more >>

A very entertaining crossword, with two strong interconnected themes and a very neat trick of having three famous people’s names sitting in the grid (17 21 7, 2 23 7 and 17 6), … Read more >>

Yet another very enjoyable offering from Araucaria. I got 25/26ac immediately and the various types of pear followed quickly. Several clues involved bits of what is perhaps slightly obscure general knowledge (e.g. 18ac, … Read more >>

dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Another challenging puzzle which was also amusing … Read more >>

A few parties in this one, as well as the great Stevie Wonder who wrote the above song. Some penny-dropping moments for me in this one, maybe my brain’s not switched on properly … Read more >>

A decent Monday Rufus, not as CD-heavy as some, with some good variation in clues. I’m stuck on 17ac, and will use as my excuse its three out of five letters unchecked. Seeing presbyterians … Read more >>

From Prize Crossword 24,457 – 2 August 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = … Read more >>

A fun golf-themed crossword from Paul (one of my favourite Guardian setters) with a few of his rather suggestive clues as usual. 🙂 There’s lots to enjoy in this puzzle, but I particularly … Read more >>

Took me a while to crack into, but once a few of the longer clues were in, especially 1D, I managed to rattle through most of the rest. I couldn’t spot any theme, … Read more >>

Apologies for a brief and slightly belated blog. A nice theme involving various hominids, starting with the first three across clues. I needed to look up a few of the synonyms to check … Read more >>