A standard 12 x 12 plain puzzle, following last week’s competition.
Observer
Everyman 3,999
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3999.
Everyman 001 / 12th August 1945
Everyman No 1 (New Series) – published 12th August 1945 The Guardian website has recently published this puzzle, possibly in relation to Everyman 4000 due to be published in The Observer very soon … Read more >>
Everyman 3,998
Sunday afternoon after an exhausting visit by grandsons and a relaxing pint or 3 and the Everyman
Azed 2659
Azed gives us a standard plain puzzle for the competition this month. The competition clue is the 12-letter entry at 2 down I struggled a bit with the wording of … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,658 Plain
Azed gave us few more twists and turns in this week’s puzzle, as compared to the most recent Plain puzzles, but nothing too outlandish.
Everyman 3,997/28 May
Another sound as a pound Sunday offering from Everyman, with all the regular quirks on display. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram … Read more >>
Everyman 3,996
I always seem to be saying this, but Everyman’s crosswords get better and better. Apart from my doubts over the STRADIVARI clue, which I may well be wrong on, he has produced a set of sound clues with good surfaces and also managed to include all the trademarks seamlessly: the rhyming pairs, the self-referential clue and the first letters clue.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, reversal, missing letters, etc.) in italics. Link-words in green. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(like this).
Azed No. 2,657 Plain
A plain puzzle from Azed.
Azed 2656
Now that the Observer has amended/clarified the rules for submitting Azed solutions we’re going back to publishing the blogs on the Sunday after the puzzle appears. After my first pass through the clues … Read more >>
Everyman 3,995
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3995.
Azed No. 2,655 ‘Printer’s Devilry’ – Competition Puzzle
Azed produces these every year or two and they are very clever and great fun, but when I saw that it was a P.D. my heart sank, as they take me a long time to do and I wasn’t sure that I’d finish in time. However, having done several of these over the years I’m probably finding them easier. Why it should be that they appeal to the majority of solvers goodness knows, but they do, and the names of the prizewinners in Azed’s lists are much the same names as in his regular crosswords. They divide opinion a bit, and a few don’t like them at all. Personally I enjoy them despite their difficulty: the moment of realisation when what was a slightly clunky and incomprehensible sentence reveals itself is very nice.
The instructions I find pretty incomprehensible and it’s only by learning from various other sources that I know what to do. Why Azed bothers to say ‘Preference is given to…’ I can’t understand, since all the clues that I’ve ever seen quoted have been ‘correct’. Should he not make it a rule?
Everyman 3,994
So it’s the Sunday following some sort of bash down London way
Azed No. 2,654 Plain
A straightforward plain from Azed this week, but one clue had me puzzled.
Everyman 3,993/30 April
A thoughtfully constructed and tractable cryptic from Everyman this week. Just like every week, really. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] … Read more >>