Hello, from an overcast North London.
Observer
AZED 2,281
I always cheat when doing Azed. In a normal daily cryptic this would be unforgivable until perhaps the very end when one is stuck, but with Azed I always say to myself that the words are so weird that one needs help. You may say that I should persevere and try to do it all from the wordplay and only then look up the word to see if it exists, and yes I do sometimes do that, but the wordplay itself also often makes reference to some impossible words and I’d never get anywhere. At least I would. but it would take me about ten times as long as I normally spend.
As always everything, with its neat clueing, is perfectly clear after the event.
Definitions underlined and in maroon.
Everyman 3619/14 February
A Valentine’s Day puzzle from Everyman. Apologies for the late appearance of this, but I was busy on the 14th being romanced by shedloads of attractive and rich fifty-something divorcees, which took my … Read more >>
Azed 2280
I couldn’t find my original copy when I came to write this, so have solved the puzzle twice. Of course it was a bit easier the second time round, but (as far as … Read more >>
AZED 2,279 – Cherchez la Femme
I was a little apprehensive on seeing this puzzle as I had forgotten it was my turn to blog and so had to solve and explain all in a hurry. Fortunately the puzzle was not as difficult as it appeared to be from reading the instructions. Thank you Azed.
Everyman 3,618
It’s Sunday and time to do the Everyman. You can find it here
AZED 2,278
A standard plain Azed this week, in a standard 12 x 12 grid.
Everyman 3,617
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3617.
Azed 2277
An Azed plain puzzle this week I got a surprisingly long way through this before reaching for Chambers, so either I’m getting better or the clues were slightly easier this … Read more >>
Everyman 3,616
Enjoyable. Clearly and, for the most part, elegantly clued. One answer that I didn’t know (20d) but that was clear enough
AZED 2,276
A lot easier than the run-of-the-mill. Almost as easy as this week’s Listener (OK — last week’s). And Paul’s awesome crossword utility automatically parses the (relaunched) Guardian site’s PDF once again which is nice too.
Everyman 3615
Nothing too much to frighten the horses here, which is how it should be. Mostly charades, insertions and anagrams, but it’s a puzzle for improving solvers, so fair play. Abbreviations … Read more >>
Everyman 3,614
Not the hardest Everyman I’ve encountered but one or two a little tricky to fully parse out
AZED No. 2,275 Plain
When I first solved The Listener crossword I was pleased with myself, then went to a website that discussed it and everyone said how easy this particular puzzle was. This was rather dispiriting … Read more >>
Azed 2274
A gentle start to the Azed year: I don’t time myself, but I think I finished this (apart from checking a couple of stragglers in Chambers) in less than half an hour. As … Read more >>