Private Eye/Cyclops

Some particularly fine smutty surface readings to the clues this week.  The simple but effective 18A is my favourite. Across 1 POMPOM Member squeezed between balls during Cameron’s fancy ball? (6) MP (member) … Read more >>

Similar to the last issue, this crossword was noticeably tougher than the usual difficulty level for the Eye crossword… … and I for one found that all the more enjoyable for it.  There … Read more >>

I think there was some fairly tricky wordplay in this Cyclops — it took me a bit longer than usual. Was that just me, or do others agree? Across 1 SCISSORS State is … Read more >>

Don’t know about anyone else but I’m still reeling from the Xmas giant, so this normal sized grid seemed small… … and the level of difficulty not too great – (e.g. compared to … Read more >>

This was numbered 469 in the magazine, but is correct on the website. Cyclops on pretty good form, I thought — some good clues, of which I particularly like 23a, for its sheer … Read more >>

“So this is Christmas, and what have you done Another year over, a new one just begun” Tell you what we’ve done John, another massive Eye Crossword! As usual there is a giant … Read more >>

Only a week since the last blog, I know — but this one has a submission deadline only three days after the publication date (though of course, many of us buy the Eye … Read more >>

No major problems with this one… until I tried to parse 11a, which I had written in pretty much without thinking. Across 7 BRIEFS Shorts taken by defenders Double definition — underwear; instruction … Read more >>

This was certainly a topping crossword … …there were a variety of tops in it: Jersey, Poncho, Kimono. I must’ve been “on song” solving this, one lunchtime, as I had solved all but … Read more >>

I have had a couple of weeks of utterly manic work and have been meaning to do this blog for ages, but here we are, late Sunday and it’s not started and I’m … Read more >>

… and under us.  As this grid is topped and tailed with Kate and Wills on the top and bottom, and in the middle row.  All these had clues of the same kind … Read more >>

I solved this one before I realised I was going to blog it and haven’t made any contemporaneous notes. I can’t even remember which was the first clue answered, nor which was the … Read more >>

An enjoyable solve.  Although more than half fell in the first pass, the rest needed deconstruction of some interesting wordplay. Solving and blogging this took place at a time when there was a … Read more >>

With apologies to anyone who struggled, I thought this was a remarkably straightforward puzzles — a quick solve on a train. I don’t have much to say about it — entertaining and clever … Read more >>