The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/4035.
Observer
Azed No. 2,696 Plain
A couple of typos appear to have crept in to this week’s puzzle.
Everyman 4,034
My turn again already, doesn’t time fly. OK let’s tackle the Everyman
Azed 2695 / Give & Take
Azed has given us a non-standard puzzle this week where we have to add or subtract letters to or from the clue answers before entry in the grid. The preamble … Read more >>
Everyman 4,033/4 February
Everyman provides us with another well-constructed cryptic crossword this Sunday. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) removed definitions are underlined … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,694 Plain – Competition Puzzle
A friendly offering from Azed this week.
Everyman 4,032
A sound and good crossword from Everyman. Long ago the idea of this being an entry level crossword seems to have been abandoned and some of the clues, like 1ac, are rather tricky. But it all seems to be sound, and one could argue that that is more important. 3dn and 7dn are a rhyming pair (I can’t find any others) and there are the usual self-referential and first letters clues.
Definitions underlined, in crimson. Indicators (homophone, hidden, reversal, etc) in italics. Link-words in green. Anagrams indicated (thus)* or *(thus).
Azed No. 2,693 – Plain
A headscratcher from Azed.
Azed 2692
I found this pretty easy for an Azed, though it took me a while to get the parsing of 15a, and I have a couple of quibbles. Thanks to Azed. Across 1 … Read more >>
Everyman 4,031
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/4031.
Everyman 4,030
Sunday and time to walk the dog, find the pub and solve the crossword
Azed No. 2,691 Plain
It’s always a relief when blogging duty coincides with an Azed plain, because his specials, which are especially good, always take me ages to do. I admire his grid construction: OK some of the words are pretty wild, but they are all there in Chambers so far as I can see, and to fit words into a 12×12 grid where there are four 11-letter words abutting each other in pairs seems brilliant. 5 and 8dn are presenting problems, which I’m sure will be explained to me.
Definitions underlined in crimson. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(this), with their indicators in italics.
Everyman 4,029/7 January
As always, when I’m blogging at least, a carefully constructed puzzle which should entertain and in places stretch the less experienced solver and provide a diversion for those who’ve been doing the puzzle … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,690 Plain
A plain Azed with a competition word.
Azed No. 2,688: ‘A Cool Yomp’ – Christmas Competition Puzzle
NOTE: This blog was previously posted on December 31, 2023, and was temporarily withdrawn in light of the announcement of a corrected closing date for the competition.
I viewed with some dread the fact that I had drawn the Christmas Eve Azed slot, having failed in years past to complete the special holiday puzzles (the one about “presents around the tree” being an especially unpleasant memory.) And as one who finds Spoonerisms nearly always overwrought and almost never even remotely witty, the prospect of an entire puzzle constructed with Spoonerisms put a wet blanket on my Christmas cheer. And as one who frequently struggles with purported “homophones” based upon Received Pronunciation, I knew that I was in for a mindbender, at best, and outright failure, at worst. Setting those grinchy cavils aside, I must say, I think that I have actually completed this crossword correctly. It took me several sittings, but ultimately, I found the challenge enjoyable. Saying the words and their possible phonemic inversions out loud definitely helped with solving.