Independent

Independent 10,020 / Phi

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Phi’s latest submission brings our mid-week suite of puzzles to an end. I enjoyed this crossword and found it to be a medium-difficulty puzzle by Phi standards. True to form, I have been … Read more >>

Independent 10,018 by Filbert

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So much for the fairly gentle Wednesdays we had when Dac was setting. This was as hard — for me, at any rate — as anything you ever see in the Independent. My initial feeling was irritation with what seemed to be rather loose and vague clues, but it grew on me: the meaning of most of them is clear and at times Filbert has been remarkably clever and imaginative. The fact that some of them still seem to be a bit weak is probably down to me rather than to him. Or her, although the name suggests a man.

For various reasons Filbert was derided a bit to begin with but then he became much liked. This crossword looked initially like a reversion to his old habits, but I suspect I’ve missed some of his subtleties.

Definitions underlined, in maroon.  Anagram indicators in italics.

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Independent 10,016/Tees

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I really enjoyed this one from Tees. All carefully thought out and constructed, and a fine example of gracefully letting the solver win.       Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition … Read more >>

Independent 10,013 by Hob

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Quite hard work today, but no criticisms really: Hob has produced a nice crossword with some good clues, and the only delays were the result of my incompetence.

Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.

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