Guardian Quiptic

A pleasant surprise to see Philistine as the setter when I opened the puzzle this morning. Well-established, and well-liked, as a compiler of Guardian cryptics, but I don’t recall seeing him in the … Read more >>

Thank you to Pan. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 4. Cop guarding god leaving hospital in Texas city (6) DALLAS : DS(abbrev. for “detective sergeant”/a policeman/cop) containing(guarding) “Allah”(the name of God/the … Read more >>

Belated thanks to Eileen for coming off the bench to do my last Quiptic blog. Pleased to see a Hectence puzzle on my watch this morning – always a pleasure to solve and … Read more >>

I haven’t blogged a Quiptic before – I’m a stand-in today – and I was particularly pleased to see Matilda’s name, because I always enjoy her puzzles, Quiptic or Cryptic. As required for … Read more >>

Thank you to Beale. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Lean the wrong way, drop a catch (7) PITFALL : Reversal of(… the wrong way) TIP(to lean/to put into a sloping … Read more >>

Anto has the Quiptic for us this morning. A very generous, solver-friendly, grid made up for some tricky clueing, I thought. You? Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition … Read more >>

A delightful Quiptic from Hectence, with nothing to frighten the horses, as it should be. I have given full explanations for those in the ‘beginner’ category, but please ask if there is something … Read more >>

Thank you to Carpathian. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Difficult prisoner loudly taking drugs (9) CONFUSING : CON(short for “convict”/prisoner) + F(abbrev. for “forte”, musical instruction to play loudly) + … Read more >>

This offering from Anto did not appear on the Grauniad website till mid morning, so I am afraid because of work commitments I have not been able to write and post a blog … Read more >>

Thanks to Pan for our entertainment today. The Quiptic’s brief is “for beginners and those in a hurry”. This one perhaps stretches the definition a little, with a few less familiar words and … Read more >>

Matilda has produced a pleasing Quiptic this morning, which I think meets the brief – ‘for beginners, and those in a hurry’ – pretty well. For those in the former category, additional explanation … Read more >>

Thank you to Hectence for this tricky Quiptic. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Luxury extension can perhaps ruin housing (12) EXTRAVAGANCE : EXT(abbrev. for “extension”) + [anagram of(… perhaps) CAN … Read more >>

A carefully and concisely clued Quiptic from Carpathian, with nothing to frighten the reindeers. As it should be. It only remains for me to send my best wishes for 2021 to fellow Quiptic … Read more >>