Independent

I found this a quite easy puzzle from Phi, solving time 16 mins, with 4 answers in the NW corner taking the final 6 mins after I managed the rest in a very … Read more >>

We are proud to say that we raced through this one, and although we didn’t time ourselves, we had only drunk half of our pints before finishing it! We really enjoyed this one, … Read more >>

This was quite an interesting one, with the left side feeling far tougher than the right, which fell into place pretty quickly. Many of the surface readings here seem remarkably smooth, though maybe … Read more >>

A characteristically clever puzzle from Virgilius, with plenty of thematic stuff to chew on in the clues and completed grid. x and y can be used in cryptic clues in a variety of … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A pleasant, not too demanding crossword from Glow-Worm. Most of the clues were fairly straightforward, although there were a couple I’m not entirely confident … Read more >>

A special puzzle to mark a special day as Nimrod and Jetdoc marry.   A puzzle that nmsindy found extremely hard with a massive anagram, eventually after about 2 hours had to confess defeat … Read more >>

Eimi has advised me that “the enumeration for the long answer in today’s online Indy crossword should be: (4,4,2,4,3,4,7,4,3,2,3,6,3,5,2,3,4)”.

A fairly challenging but ultimately manageable themed puzzle from Eimi this week, published the day before the quatercentenary of the death of 1ac. I must admit I solved the whole thing without spotting … Read more >>

A surprise Thursday appearance from Phi, and I suspect that’s a straight swap, with tomorrow being something of a special occasion for Nimrod. Either way, this one was good fun and not too … Read more >>

Good morning all. A departure from the usual IoS fare this week, with a themed offering. The fact that we’d not encountered a themed IoS before meant that we were rather slow off … Read more >>

Very much a puzzle of 2 halves for me, specifically a pretty easy top half and a much, much harder bottom half. Nevertheless, fantastic clues as always from Dac, 24A being my pick … Read more >>

A nice crossword from Tees. Having solved 7ac and 9ac first and had a good idea about 20/23ac I feared a football-related crossword. Mercifully, apart from one or two answers, apparently no. Perhaps … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism I found this fairly straightforward apart from the two down the right-hand edge, neither of which I fully understand. There were a few arty … Read more >>

I don’t tend to time these things, but this can’t have taken more than a few minutes. Definitely at the easier end of the Phi spectrum, but no less entertaining for that, with … Read more >>

As I don’t solve the Independent blocked crossword on a regular basis, Tyrus is a new name to me.  A bit of research on Fifteensquared however shows that he is also Lato, a … Read more >>