Independent

Everything typically elegant and natural today. Across 1 FEAT HERB RAINED — One of the signs of a good charade clue is that the long word is split into components that are not … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. I had noticed that number 7,000 was on its way, and wondered what to expect. What we got was a typically strong Virgilius puzzle, with … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def I found this a nicely balanced puzzle, challenging without being too difficult and having a good mix of clues. Across 1 Requiescat: (quiet acres)* – quite a … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. What a week for us Independent solvers. I’m a little relieved to have drawn the Friday, all things considered. That said, I felt the pressure, … Read more >>

Across 7/25/4 NINE TILL FIVE – “when on duty” is the def, and “Norma Bolton” is a reference to the clue numbers of those answers – 9d and 5d respectively. 8 (I FOUND … Read more >>

This was a marvellous crossword, many thanks, Mordred. Great clues all through, very difficult (solving time, 53 mins) but very satisfying to finish. There’s also quite a subtle Nina (hidden message not necessary … Read more >>

I find Quixote the easiest of the Indy setters – I solved this in 11 mins.    I recommend it, along with Everyman in the Observer, to those thinking of first dipping their toes … Read more >>

Tougher than usual for Dac I thought, but the fact that I had to solve this whilst standing up on a bus and trying not to fall into people probably didn’t help my … Read more >>

It was with a sinking heart that I embarked on this. Despite what it says at the top of this page under SETTERS, Tees is not medium in difficulty. In fact in my … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def An enjoyable puzzle with nothing too difficult or controversial. I couldn’t see any obvious NINA. Across 9 Orchestra: I think this is just a CD relating to … Read more >>

I found this unusually difficult — the two-word clues were a problem and one or two short answers are even now not totally clear. But apart from one or two quibbles, a typically … Read more >>

Scorpion has a reputation as one of the tougher Indie setters but I found this pretty easy. Good fun to solve too, which is the most important thing after all. Just two queries … Read more >>

A mixed week for me here. A handful of very good clues, some others (especially the dds) which I could take or leave, and a few I can’t fully explain. There’s a “cattle” … Read more >>

Solving time, 19 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 8 LAP IDA TED  pal< Archaic word meaning ‘pelted with stones’ that I worked out from the wordplay, verifying after. 9 D(rum)ROLL … Read more >>

Excellent puzzle from Dac, as usual, solving time 14 mins * = anagram  < = reversed ACROSS 1 HALV(e) AH   Pleased to work out a new word from the clear wordplay.  Turkish sweetmeat … Read more >>