Private Eye/Cyclops

After last week’s triple “percent” wordplay, this week we have “awful” used as an anagrind in three different clues. So I’m afraid it walked into that blog title. Blam! But it was quite … Read more >>

I was knocking off these clues without too much trouble but did think more than once that they were quite convoluted.  It took 20 Min – only about ½ pint – drinking slowly – … Read more >>

Pack away your soapbox now. Take down your “Sod the others – Vote for Us” posters. It’s all over for now. The people have spoken and they said “Errr”. Anyway, I don’t understand … Read more >>

I made hard work for myself with this puzzle by writing in several incorrect answers. I guess I was hurrying and didn’t read the clues properly, and sometimes wrote in what I didn’t … Read more >>

I didn’t know much about Sir Thomas More’s Utopia beyond its fame, but after finding a link for 21D and reading around I realise what a big deal this was. Utopia from the … Read more >>

Our text today is taken from St Eter of the Managras: Yea, it is harder for a good man to answer the inquiry of Chilcot than a Queen Bee to enter a Myrtle. … Read more >>

No real problem with this lot – except 18A – for bringing back unpleasant memories, thus the blog title. You know there are some similarities between her and me: School reports show “hard … Read more >>

Quite an easy outing this time with a few intra-Eye references and pet names, particularly several uses of Brenda for ER, and of course lots of botty humour. Across 1 DISRAELI (DAILIES [labou]R)* … Read more >>

Blunder on my part that is as I find that yet again my pen writes the letters for down answers in the wrong order. May be it’s the ink that can’t spell. 3D … Read more >>

Anyone would think the crossword was on Page 3 given the number of pairs of tits on view in the wordplay, usually as anagram fodder – there’s floppy tits, daft tits and of … Read more >>

I lost track of the weeks. I knew we would have an extra week over Xmas, but then by this Friday I realised I should’ve had a Private Eye by now. Assuming it … Read more >>

This year the theme is the Dumb Britain section which takes questions and silly answers that contestants to popular quiz programmes have provided.  The trick is to guess what the flailing contestant might … Read more >>

As It Occurred To Me this week:  I won 2nd prize in a contest! You’re right, it wasn’t a Beauty Contest and I wasn’t playing Monopoly. It was a crossword contest:  The 2009 “3D … Read more >>

That is, surface reading not found. After doing a lot of crosswords I tend to read clues for their cryptic meaning without noticing, or should I say savouring, the surface reading. An example … Read more >>