Private Eye/Cyclops

Unusually for Cyclops here was a puzzle with a bit of a hidden theme. Several financial terms crop up as answers.  Surely too many for coincidence.  Especially with the longest and central answer … Read more >>

It may just be a product of my febrile (50-year-old) teenage imagination, but this puzzle seems to be a bit of a homage to the late Hugh Hefner… There is a WATER BED … Read more >>

Several clues in this puzzle where I had an inkling of the answwer but could not justify it until understanding some surprisingly convoluted wordplay. For example 5A, which I tackled early on, POSTURE seemed … Read more >>

The usual mix of excellent surface readings, political targets at home and across the water, and a lower-than-usual reading on the Smut-ometer from Cyclops this fortnight… An impressive, if maybe sub-Araucarian and even sub-Paulesque, … Read more >>

One of those where most answers were easily solved leaving a bunch mostly in the top left corner which I found tricky. What is it about the top left corner? Maybe that’s where setters … Read more >>

It is political conference season (in the UK), and Cyclops has highlighted a few pertinent aspects – without naming too many names… …BACKSTABBING, WANNABE, PSYCHOBABBLE, (political) ROOTS, –  and presumably nothing actually gets AGREED. … Read more >>

Who do we think the wastrel is?  Maybot, BoJo, Trump itself?  Too many to choose from Solving kicked off from the right had side but only resulted in about 10 in at the … Read more >>

Is Cyclops showing solidarity with all those commuters struggling into and out of London this August, with various stations affected by ‘improvement’ works in the quieter holiday month?… Certainly Trump seems to have … Read more >>

Thankfully not quite so much Trumpery in this puzzle. We seem to have a run of Eye puzzles lately where many answers fell into the grid quite quickly leaving few to do after … Read more >>

Ronald T Dump continues to provide clue-fodder for Cyclops, although there are some finely-tuned closer-to-home barbs as well this fortnight… We start at 1A with COVFEFE – ‘a word from Trump’…did he fall … Read more >>

Another Trump-ridden grid. I am getting too used to seeing the Donald used in wordplay.  A year ago, six months ago even, it provided a new stamping ground for ironic humour. But he’s still there! Somehow. … Read more >>

A higher-than-average(?) number of anagrams (full, or partial) and some nicely-surfaced double definitions in this fortnight’s Cyclops, with ‘Strong’ and ‘Stable’ making appearances in a clue, after being an answer last time round… Some … Read more >>

A few references to the recent election campaign were included in this grid.  The groan-worthy “Strong and stable” will surely be remembered for decades.  It is really astonishing how much untruth Lynton Crosby … Read more >>

Well, Cyclops – take a bow! By my reckoning, 600 puzzles at approximately 25 per year is about 24 years…I hope you got a decent lunch and a long service award out of … Read more >>

Cyclops often creates puzzles with clues that range over 2 or more lights in different parts of the grid.  I like the way this gives the puzzle a more three dimensional feel and … Read more >>