Inquisitor

Inquisitor puzzles must be subject to the same kind of rule as umbrellas – if I fail to notice that it’s my turn to blog and do them in a hurry, they turn … Read more >>

As usual with a Schadenfreude offering there were a lot of unfamiliar words – LYTTA, DONAT, PACHALIC and NITID to name but four! The clues were scupulously fair, though one of them has defeated us for … Read more >>

We were told that seven grid entries, clued without definition, were of a kind.  Their response to an exhortation would affect the method of entry of a further seven clue answers.  Further, all … Read more >>

Jumbles of words have to be removed from nine clues before solving; these words form five items and we have to black out a symmetrical two-word phrase in the completed grid that describes … Read more >>

Is there a conspiracy?  My turn to blog and there’s no magazine, again!  Still, thanks to a fellow blogger, I appropriated a copy. 🙂 Though I don’t feel I can submit my entry since … Read more >>

Happy New Year! (he says as he stores up this report on Christmas Eve) This seasonal puzzle had a theme which I guessed from the title – the eight reindeer who pull Santa’s … Read more >>

As this is blog is due for publication on Christmas day, may we wish our readers a Happy Christmas and a successful Inquisitorial New Year! Some entertaining clues (we particularly liked “Neat expression” … Read more >>

Phi is one of the more prolific setters with his puzzles appearing in a wide range of publications.  There is always something different about his puzzles and this was no exception. We were … Read more >>

Extra letters in the wordplay lead to part of a quotation and its author, from which the (eleven) unclued entries can be deduced. There are ten thematic examples, one of which corresponds to … Read more >>

What a struggle. Firstly there was no magazine in The Independent in my local shop and none to be had in the nearest big city. A quick SOS email to my bellow floggers … Read more >>

Solving time: very roughly 6 hours, with LOTS of cheating I foolishly left this for a few days before starting to solve for this report. It turned out to be really tough and … Read more >>

After two weeks of fiendish Inquisitors, we were due an easy one. Happily for my blogging this was it! Very egotistical – every clue began with “I” and eight of the answers had … Read more >>

I think this was Ikela’s second Inquisitor (update: I gather it his third).  I blogged a previous one just under 6 months ago.  That one, entitled Fatal Attraction,  was based on Bonnie and … Read more >>

Four unclued entries, two clued entries and one hidden name are thematically linked, and these last three have to be highlighted (16 cells). Then we have to swap two letters in the grid, … Read more >>

What a bad start, I thought. I looked at 1 across and got the answer straight away.  Usually when that happens, I’m doomed to failure. But, as it happens, it wasn’t an omen, I … Read more >>