I solved this rather quickly (for me) and didn’t find myself abusing Chambers. A relatively healthy number of &lits but I struggled to understand the definition of DAFT until an email friend helped me out of my misery.
Observer
Everyman 3,560
A steady-as-she-goes Everyman puzzle, with not too much to alarm (or thrill), but a good collection of clues at the shallow end of the pool.
AZED 2,221
Something very odd has happened this week. The paper and originally the website printed a totally irrelevant clue for 20ac, with Azed’s clue provided (hastily?) after a day or two. Also the website had some extraordinary glitches: it put (5) (5) after 25ac, (7) (7) after 18dn, and (6) (6) after 22dn. Also, 10dn was given as (7) instead of (5), and — at any rate by Tuesday — this hadn’t been corrected.
Which didn’t detract from the usual pleasant solving experience. Everything was straightforward enough and it was obvious what the mistakes were. Azed’s clues are in retrospect nearly always easy to solve: they are difficult simply because they use words that are, to say the least, outside one’s normal experience. This doesn’t take away from their quality, though.
As usual some dictionary research will be needed by you, dear reader, if you are to understand eveything about all the clues. I have underlined the definitions.
Azed 2220 – Christmas Crackers
In six-and-a-half years of blogging Azed, this is the first time the luck of the draw has brought me a Christmas puzzle. I was a bit apprehensive at the prospect, as some of … Read more >>
Everyman 3559
Another excellent entry-level puzzle from Everyman, but with a few unusual features, none of which were Christmas-related. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator … Read more >>
Azed 2,219
My apologies for the late appearance of this post. The scheduled blogger forgot that it was his turn and did not solve the puzzle (I’ll put it down to festive spirit!). Too many … Read more >>
Everyman 3,558
The usual Everyman for me this week.
AZED 2,218
A plain puzzle for the December competition, although no doubt the Christmas special will be rather more complex.
Everyman 3,557 (7 December 2014)
The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3557.
Everyman 3,556
Another fairly straightforward everyman, with a couple of new words and some parsing that escaped me.
Azed 2,217
This is the last time you will see me for a while unless someone else decides to go on holiday. It is also the first time I have been scheduled to blog an … Read more >>
Everyman 3555/23 November
I often find with Everyman that his references make me go and look up stuff that I kind of knew, but had forgotten. So once I’d finished solving the puzzle this morning I … Read more >>
AZED 2,216
Scots, Scots and more Scots. Nonetheless, with help from that well-known Scots dictionary, Chambers, managed the slog. Not the most easy of Azed’s but eventually I think I tamed it.
AZED 2,215
A standard and typically sound and pleasant Plain from Azed this week. Most of the clues allow a very straightforward and brief parsing. One or two of his ways are a bit beyond me, and 8dn is completely beyond me, but I trust someone will explain.
As usual I won’t trouble you with explanations of the rare words: they are all there in Chambers.
Definitions underlined.
Everyman No 3,554 (16/11/14)
Everyman is my usual gentle warm-up early on a Sunday morning before moving on to the likes of Azed, Inquisitor and Beelzebub and today was no exception. Nothing held me up for long … Read more >>