Guardian

A typically pleasant Monday puzzle from Rufus with at least two classy clues (15d and 24a). I still don’t understand why we must always get an easy puzzle on Monday. There’s always the simpler crossword in … Read more >>

I hadn’t planned to blog this puzzle, but if nobody else wants to, here’s my contribution. The theme involves eight elements from the perodic table, and in each case the clue starts with … Read more >>

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 >>