Back to normal after a weekend away in the sunny East Midlands.
Independent
Independent on Sunday 1,264 by Poins
Good stuff from Poins, no gimmicks – just sound clues all the way. Thanks Poins.
Independent 8,602 by Anax (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 10/05/14)
Well I never, I’ve actually finished an Anax puzzle! It isn’t actually the first time, to be entirely honest, but it’s rare enough that it’s still a bit of a thrill. And this … Read more >>
Independent 8,607 / Phi
No surprise this morning to have Phi’s latest offering to grapple with over breakfast. I found this a tougher than average Phi solve, not least since the three clues that I was unable … Read more >>
Independent 8606 / Hephaestos
A quick search of fifteensquared shows that Hephaestos is a setter’s name that has not featured before. I wonder what kind of puzzle he/she will set? Well we usually find … Read more >>
Independent 8,605 by Dac
What can be said that hasn’t already been said? The usual perfect construction, with a personal slight dislike of the word ‘some’ as a hidden indicator.
Definitions in italics.
Independent 8604 / Eimi
It’s Tuesday so we were expecting something slightly out of the ordinary. What’s more – it’s our first blog of an Eimi puzzle! When we saw that the puzzle was by Eimi … Read more >>
Independent 8603 by Morph
*=anagram [] = removed e.g. char[m]=char ()=abbreviation e.g. A(mpere)=a Hom. = homophone This was a very clever idea, with the across clues being cast as nonsense limericks, a form of verse popularized by … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,263 by Commoner
It looks like it’s over a year since I last blogged a Commoner puzzle. This one seemed eminently manageable, taking less time to finish than the rather 8 down pint of Best I … Read more >>
Independent 8596 (Sat 3-May 2014) Nestor
When I know I am going to blog a puzzle I try to make some notes as I solve it, roughing out the wordplay etc. So it might take a bit longer than usual. … Read more >>
Independent 8601 / Phi
Phi has given us an interesting puzzle today The first two across entries (9 and 10 across) read as THIRD POLICEMAN. A bit of research shows that this is the title … Read more >>
Independent 8,600 by Monk
Monk is always good. There are some excellent clues here and one or two where I’d be grateful for a little explanation. We differ over the matter of CDs, but Monk isn’t the only setter who uses them. However, if there were no well-known setters who dislike them I’d keep quiet.
Surprise surprise — I’ve seen the Nina, or at any rate as much of it as I’m likely to see: look at the horizontal unchecked letters in the middle followed by the vertical unchecked letters in the middle, but quite where the climax of it all is I can’t see.
Definitions in italics.
Independent 8599 / Dac
As we have come to expect, another great puzzle from Dac with the usual smooth surfaces. We had never come across 18ac or 18d before, but the wordplay was clear enough and an … Read more >>
Independent 8,598 / Scorpion
It hadn’t fallen to me to blog a Scorpion puzzle for quite some time, so I attacked this one with gusto. A quick glance through the clues reveals that there is a theme … Read more >>
Independent 8597/Quixote
Perhaps it’s because it’s a bank holiday puzzle, perhaps I’m just being a bit lethargic, but I found this tricky. A couple of less common words (which is normal for Quixote); a good … Read more >>