Independent – Page 277 – Fifteensquared

Independent 8,844 by Dac

Wed February 18, 2015 at 10:13 am by John

What new is there to say about Dac? Every clue tells a little story. I have misgivings about ‘provided’ as an anagram indicator in 4dn, and I suspect that there might be a typo in 12dn, since my suggestion is so simple that I can’t see why Dac didn’t do it that way (although now that I look more closely he may be right all along, the two words necessitating a verb without s; not sure about this — perhaps someone who knows about these things could drop in and tell us); but a small price to pay for a day of Dac.

Definitions underlined.

Independent 8843 / Hob

Tue February 17, 2015 at 10:04 pmTue February 17, 2015 at 8:09 am by Bertandjoyce

Firstly, many thanks to Gaufrid, who has been standing in for us while we were away. Hob definitely gave us the run-around today. It took us longer than normal to complete the puzzle … Read more >>

Independent 8,842 by Punk

Mon February 16, 2015 at 11:01 am by flashling

The online version was a bit delayed today but it’s up now.

Independent on Sunday 1,303 by Poins

Sun February 15, 2015 at 1:41 am by Simon Harding

As always, a quality crossword from Poins, who must be thoroughly bored of me by now. Some quite challenging stuff in there too, the two “measure” clues being my last two in. Across … Read more >>

Independent 8835 (Sat 7th Feb 2015) Jambazi

Sat February 14, 2015 at 12:01 am by beermagnet

Jambazi (a.k.a. Tramp) is one of my favourite setters and one I’d like to see more of in both the Indy and the G. He is known for hard puzzles, and if I … Read more >>

Independent 8840 / Phi

Fri June 7, 2019 at 11:56 amFri February 13, 2015 at 7:30 am by duncanshiell

Today we have what on the face of it is a fairly standard puzzle from Phi Well that’s what I thought until I just noticed before starting the blog that … Read more >>

Independent 8,839 by Monk

Thu February 12, 2015 at 10:13 am by John

Rather a difficult Monk today I thought, but as usual very enjoyable. There are one or two loose ends which, thanks to the wisdom of those reading this blog, should be tied up before the end of the day.

And of course there’s the Nina, which I half saw and then forgot, to be reminded by Herb @1, who saw rather more than I did. The bottom row is a clear statement, so I looked at the top and couldn’t understand what was happening. All explained below. Very good. I can’t see why Herb thinks he hasn’t got it, for it clearly refers to the Russian novel.

Definitions underlined.

Independent 8838 / Dac

Wed February 11, 2015 at 8:59 am by Gaufrid

One or two unfamiliar words for me today. I think I have met 23ac before (but had forgotten it) but 17ac was certainly new and I don’t think I would have got it … Read more >>

Independent 8,837 / Knut

Tue February 10, 2015 at 11:37 amTue February 10, 2015 at 9:40 am by RatkojaRiku

The Tuesday slot is one that is occupied by a wide variety of setters, and this Tuesday we have the pleasure of welcoming a (to me at least) new setter to the Indy … Read more >>

Independent 8836 by Kairos

Mon February 9, 2015 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite challenging and it took a couple of goes to complete it. However, once you saw the solution, most of the clues seemed sound and gettable, which the possible exception … Read more >>

Independent on Sunday 1302/eXternal

Sun February 8, 2015 at 12:01 am by Pierre

I’m not really sure what to make of this one. You tell me. It’s not a bad puzzle by any means, but there were a few that were difficult to … Read more >>

Independent Crossword 8829 by Tees (31-01-2015)

Sat February 7, 2015 at 2:41 pmSat February 7, 2015 at 12:05 am by twencelas

A Tees crossword blogged from a few miles north of the Tyne. Also a lot of black squares this week – was there an excess of ink at the Independent? Well plenty of … Read more >>

Independent 8,834 by Phi

Fri May 24, 2019 at 10:13 amFri February 6, 2015 at 10:46 am by John

As I said when posting last week, I am always slow to begin Phi’s crosswords, but then everything becomes clear and you wonder why there were any difficulties, because it all fits together fine and one is left wondering what the problem ever was. Perhaps that’s the mark of a good setter.

I have given up having more than a cursory glance (which of course failed to find anything here) to see if Phi has given us a Nina, since his — if they exist at all — are always so difficult to see. No doubt …

Definitions underlined.

Independent 8833 / Donk

Thu February 5, 2015 at 9:21 am by Gaufrid

Donk’s style is certainly different and this puzzle was no exception. With only four entries during my first pass through the clues I thought I was going to struggle to complete the grid … Read more >>

Independent 8,832 / Dac

Thu February 5, 2015 at 12:36 pmWed February 4, 2015 at 8:00 am by RatkojaRiku

I was looking forward to my monthly encounter with Dac today, and the puzzle certainly lived up to my expectations. Overall, I found this towards the easier end of the Dac spectrum. I … Read more >>