Independent

This was another enjoyable puzzle from Phi.  There was nothing too difficult or obscure in terms of entries or knowledge required to solve the clues.       I downloaded this puzzle a … Read more >>

Radian has given us a pleasant crossword today themed largely around 16ac, which is connected with many of the clues. I have my doubts about 15dn, although perhaps I have it quite wrong … Read more >>

My apologies for being late.  I am standing in for Bert and Joyce who are on holiday this week and I have accidentally managed to get two blogs for the same morning, neither … Read more >>

It is Tuesday today so there is normally a treat in store for solvers of the Independent cryptic crossword. Today was certainly no exception. This puzzle gets full marks from me for flair … Read more >>

NMSIndy has given up his blogging spot to concentrate on his other existence as Raich (and Gurney) however he appears re-bjorn today as Raich for the Monday slot. NMSIndy was one of the … Read more >>

Always a pleasure to solve and blog a Sunday Indy from Raich.  He had me struggling for the last few today, though … Why, I don’t know, because once I’d solved them it … Read more >>

It took me a while to get through the layers (strata?) of this puzzle, not helped by a school-boy error on 6D and a couple of holes in my 1970s TV-watching CV… Given … Read more >>

Not the usual Friday Phi today (no doubt he appears tomorrow), and rather a difficult crossword from Poins instead. Not everyone is happy with the device of requiring the solver to get certain … Read more >>

Thanks Morph for another enjoyable puzzle. Some of the clues left us very puzzled but when the penny dropped we could see that the clues were fair (but very often mischievous!). A good … Read more >>

It’s Wednesday today and Dac is occupying his usual slot. Part of the joy of a Dac puzzle, for me at least, is that I know I can concentrate on simply solving the … Read more >>

I thought this was a wonderful crossword with clever clues, a good deal of misdirection and a wide range of wordplay constructions.       I got off to a good start with … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A fairly standard Quixote, mostly easy but with a couple of clues that held me up a little.  Across 1 Castor: Cast + Or … Read more >>

A new setter for me. Some ingenious, tricky and innovative definitions, eg. “He”, “someone in bed”, “emissions”, “it’s”, and so on, and some interesting and misdirecting surfaces. I found this more difficult than the … Read more >>

A good challenge both in the initial solve and then again a few days later when we came to write up the blog! We like Klingsor’s puzzles so were very pleased to see … Read more >>

Another enjoyable puzzle from Phi to end the week. We always like the smooth reading in Phi’s clues and 2d was an absolute delight! We’ve searched for a theme or nina but haven’t … Read more >>