Inquisitor

The setters this week are eXternal and Serpent in their dual manifestation as eXtent.       The preamble told us that thirty consecutive clues contain an extra letter that must be removed … Read more >>

The Ace of Hearts makes his (almost) annual appearance.   Preamble: From the answer to each clue a letter must be deleted wherever it appears before entry into the grid; Definitions refer to … Read more >>

  Picnic by Kruger Clues are given in alphabetical order of their answers which must be entered where they will fit. However, two entries are unclued; together they form a pictorial representation of … Read more >>

Ifor is a fairly prolific setter of Inquisitor with one of his puzzles appearing every two or three months.       Ifor has served up a wide range of themes and cluing … Read more >>

Skylark completes the quartet in “Ladies’ Month” (though there is room for another one this April).  Preamble: Every clue but one contains an extra letter which should be removed before solving. In order, … Read more >>

I always enjoy Nutmeg puzzles, especially because of the nicely thought out and innovative end games. This was no exception. A very short rubric: The unclued 6-word slogan in the silvered cells could … Read more >>

Calculations by Vismut Extra letters in some clues spell out consecutive operations in two calculations that the unclued across entry might have made – one reading down through the clues and one reading … Read more >>

The Inquisitor series moves into Ladies month with this puzzle from Chalicea.       We had a very short preamble this week telling us that a scientist whose name must be highlighted … Read more >>

Nimrod – aah, our esteemed editor. I hope I fare better with this than with his previous offering (#1721 Hole), my greatest failure to date.   Preamble: Clues – all normal – are … Read more >>

Combined Help by eXternal Each across clue contains a superfluous word; in clue order second letters of the words give an author and penultimate letters give a work. Wordplay in each down clue … Read more >>

The complicated rubric read: The grid should be considered to consist of three zones, each containing the same number of cells but with shapes and locations to be deduced. Thirteen answers are too … Read more >>

Phi is a prolific crossword setter.. His puzzles feature regularly in the Independent daily crossword series and the Saturday Inquisitor puzzles.       The preamble stated: Nine clues have a single-letter misprint … Read more >>

Botox: new? Maybe not: the Listener crossword website says “see Artix & Shark”.   Preamble: Bracketed numbers indicate spaces available but three unchecked cells must initially contain more than one letter. A pair … Read more >>