First of all apologies for posting this too early, I just typed the wrong number and that somehow failed to fill in one answer. Everyman doing what he does
Observer
Azed No. 2,699 Plain
A plain Azed puzzle.
Azed 2698
Slightly harder than some recent Plains, I thought, but not too many problems. Thanks to Azed. Across 1 UMBRELLA‑STAND Bit of hall furniture? Broken tumblers land around one (13, 2 words)A in … Read more >>
Everyman 4,037/3 March
Another sound and pleasing puzzle from Everyman this morning. Clearly clued and with all the usual trademarks. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,697 – Plain
A pleasant and not too difficult crossword from Azed. I got into a bit of a mess with the software that produces the blog (which was thrown by the strange enumeration at 1ac), but with some help from the writer of the software and a little fiddling I think it’s now in an acceptable form. Some of the anagram indicators are a bit extreme, but Azed basically allows anything where there is a little bit of jiggling.
Definitions in crimson, underlined; anagram indicators in italics; anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*.
Everyman 4,036
When I’m not blogging I sometimes miss The Everyman, but when I did it a week or two ago it seemed to be becoming easier, and I wondered if Alan Connor was deliberately making it so in response to the several remarks that this was no longer an entry-level crossword. However, this one has shown that this is not apparently the case, because I thought this was very tricky and I’m still not sure of the parsing of one or two of the clues. I couldn’t find the usual rhyming pair or much of that type; two answers ended with the same three letters although they didn’t rhyme, and I’ve highlighted them in a rather doubtful grey, not the usual flamboyant colours which announce a discovery.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (Hidden, anagrams, homophones, insertion, reversal, etc.) in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.
Everyman 4,035
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/4035.
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 >>