Independent

I found this quite easy, solving time 14 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 DEC (December) A MP 5 DRAW BACK (vb) 9 ME S(M)ERISED (desires)* – it’s also reversed,  … Read more >>

A typically pleasant crossword. Unusually for Dac, there are one or two things I’m not completely comfortable with: no doubt someone will come to the rescue. Across 1 TAR BOOS H 6 EX(PO’S)E … Read more >>

Apologies for not writing this up before disappearing for the Bank Holiday weekend. This was a challenging but not too difficult puzzle, taking me 13:50. A fine set of varied answers and plenty … Read more >>

A very entertaining puzzle with a lot of across answers connected to Steve Coogan’s finest creation (who can be seen at 1/3A). I spotted the name early on and, having seen I’m Alan … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def A tricky bank holiday puzzle with some very good clues, 13 down being my favourite, but also a few that I was a bit uncertain … Read more >>

I wasn’t sure how easy this was since I chose to solve it online after midnight, being busy late on Friday morning and not wanting to get up safely early, but there are … Read more >>

Nice stuff from Tees. Some excellent clues here, though there are one ot two I can’t quite piece together, so any pointers appreciated. This looks like the kind of grid which screams Nina, … Read more >>

I found this very easy, solving time 11 mins. * = anagram    < = reversed ACROSS 4 FIRE D  RILL 7 DEL(p)HI       Definition/wordplay splits at capital/city 9 RE(A)CTOR 10 NOT HALF 11 SEE … Read more >>

Seamless clueing as always. Mostly straightforward, but there were a few terms, or at least definitions, I wasn’t familiar with. Still, everything came together nicely as expected. I was particularly taken with one … Read more >>

A themed puzzle on the punk group  SEX PISTOLS (2 down).   The associated answers are titles of some of their best-known hits.   I found it very tough indeed.    Solving time, … Read more >>

I am standing in today for a regular blogger who is on holiday.  I am not a regular Independent solver and my dictionary of choice tends to be Chambers.  It is clear however that The … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Top quality as always from Phi. There’s something of a cricket theme going on, for obvious reasons, and “RE” comes up a lot – I’m … Read more >>

I haven’t blogged an Anax puzzle before – in fact I’m not sure that I’ve even seen one in the Independent. That said, the name is of course more than a little familiar … Read more >>

This was one of the hardest Indy puzzles I’ve ever tackled.   Only one answer entered on first run through as a tentative guess which, as the rest of the puzzle was solved, turned … Read more >>

Solving time, 24 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 S (AU CE) PAN 6 BU(i)CK 9 Shed NAILS 10 RE PR IS AL 11 BUSINESS LETTER 12 FA(C)T O TUM 13 (ma)LICE 16 … Read more >>