Observer

Azed No. 2,514 Plain

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One of Azed’s easier puzzles. By Azed standards, this was quite straightforward. I judge difficulty of barred crosswords by how far I get before I have to resort to dictionaries. In this case, … Read more >>

Azed 2513

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Quite a tricky one this week I thought, with a lot of unfamiliar words in both answers and wordplay. Everything worked out soundly in the end, of course, with just a slight niggle … Read more >>

Everyman 3,852

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3852. This week we have paired clues aplenty: 1A OFF-THE-WALL and 26A ON THE SHELF; the rhyming pair 4D WEBCAMS and 5D LOG JAMS; the assonant artists … Read more >>

Everyman 3,851

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The Observer crossword from Aug 2, 2020. A typical well-written and enjoyable Everyman crossword to accompany my Sunday brunch. I did have to check a few things, especially in the right-hand side of … Read more >>

Everyman 3,850/26 July

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Another pleasing and tractable Sunday puzzle from Everyman, with the usual trademark clues.       Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator … Read more >>

Azed No. 2,511 Plain

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A plain puzzle with what almost amounts to a mini-theme. Unusually for Azed, not only is there one solution (16 ac) referred to in another clue (34 ac) but also another solution (14 … Read more >>

Everyman 3,849

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Yet another puzzle in Everyman’s distinctive style. The standard Everyman features are all here: a related pair of long entries (when I got the solution to 11a, I had a pretty good idea … Read more >>

Azed 2510

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A slightly differently shaped Azed grid this week with 11 rows and 13 columns       There were few Scottish references in the puzzle although TRON got a look-in at the wordplay … Read more >>

Everyman 3,848

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3848. As usual for Everyman, there is the ‘primarily’ clue at 27A, and the rhyming pair at 4D and 9D. This offering is notable for the several … Read more >>

Azed No. 2,509 Plain

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Easier than usual I thought, but no less enjoyable. Thank you Azed. ACROSS 1 GROWING PAINS Wound dad received in private parts causing initial problems? (12, 2 words) WING (wound) PA (dad) inside … Read more >>

Everyman 3,847

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The Observer crossword from July 5, 2020 A nice crossword, perhaps a bit chewier than usual for an Everyman? Of course, we had another Primarily clue (one that was quite amusing). Plus a … Read more >>

Azed 2507

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A quick start on this: after my first pass through the clues I found I’d solved 18. This would normally have been exactly half, but unusually this grid has 18 acrosses and 20 … Read more >>

Everyman 3,846/28 June

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Another pleasing and entertaining puzzle from Everyman. I particularly liked the range of subject matter that came up today.  The bird, natch; but it also got me looking into a few people/places/books that … Read more >>