Independent

Busy half-day for me today, so I’ll need to be brief. A tougher-than-usual Phi I thought, with impressive use of multiple grid entries for double-word clues intersecting in the grid. I fell down … Read more >>

Probably the toughest puzzle I’ve attempted in a while, which explains my dismal performance: two answers missing and a whole load more that I filled in but can’t explain. Great puzzle though, as always … Read more >>

Tough puzzle from Nimrod with 6 15-letter entries. Solving time, 46 mins. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 8 NON-PROFESSIONAL Well-concealed with the misleading ‘Lay on line’. Definition is ‘lay’ (On line … Read more >>

Solving time, 11 mins. * = anagram ACROSS 1 A M (O) S      Book of Old Testament 4 BACK (here again)- TO-BACK (give support to) 9 MA LAW I 10 BAND  ANNA   Square … Read more >>

The usual excellent crossword from Dac, but when is he ever less than excellent? I found this unusually easy apart from two clues, one of which I got wrong. After doing 4ac and … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. I’ve never blogged a Monk before, so didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a fairly quick solve with some top-notch surfaces, … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def Relatively straightforward with well written clues. There was just one clue I didn’t follow fully (24 down). Across 1 Automatic: Double definition (refers to an automatic car). … Read more >>

My first venture into blogging about the Independent, and an enjoyable puzzle to start with! Plenty of good surfaces and not too many unfamiliar words (1dn and 23ac being the only times I … Read more >>

Top-notch puzzle from Nestor which, annoyingly, I was unable to finish. I really should be able to get 3 as it’s only a short word but 6 is more of a mystery. Any … Read more >>

More enviably entertaining, inventive stuff from Mr Cryptica. There’s plenty to admire here as always, with 21A and 20D being the standouts for me. Across 1 FLIP-FLOP – A pair of double defs … Read more >>

I found this trickier than usual, solving time, 26 mins.   RHS much harder than LHS * = anagram   < = reversed ACROSS 1 SON A TA 4 S (MASH) HIT  (this)* 9 O … Read more >>

Not too difficult, I found, solving time 22 mins. * = anagram    < = reversed ACROSS 1 OPUS     hidden 4 Long John SILVER WAR E 10 LE AN-T O    Collins confirms it can … Read more >>

One or two that I can’t understand, but plenty of nice clues today. No doubt there is a Nina staring me in the face, but apart from several references to pans and to cakes I … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def A topical, Oscar-themed puzzle which I found quite enjoyable but may not be to the taste of non-film buffs, especially since some of the films referenced were … Read more >>

A tougher Phi than usual, I thought. A nice easy hidden reversal to start, but I struggled with the rest of the across clues on my first run through. The down clues were … Read more >>