Private Eye/Cyclops

Nothing too onerous here – I fair whipped through this one on half a journey home – but a few clues had some fairly convoluted wordplay. Across 1 SHRUB (BUSH)* AInd: pissed, around … Read more >>

One of those where I couldn’t get the last couple for days.   22D was the bugbear.  The eureka moment when I finally thought of RAG for “mock” was nice, but I’m glad … Read more >>

A solid outing in this issue. Nothing to moan about. Nothing to praise to the rafters perhaps but tight clueing leading to certain answers. I solved this quite swiftly (approx. 1 pint) but … Read more >>

I enjoyed this and didn’t find it as hard as last time. How hard anyone finds a puzzle must vary not just from puzzle to puzzle and person to person but also depends … Read more >>

This was again harder than most Eye crosswords with a few very tough clues. I had trouble in the bottom half – and particular trouble with number 2. Across 1 LAMB CHOP LAMB … Read more >>

Anyone else find this much more difficult this time? I had an empty top right corner for some time, a number of clues didn’t “firm up” till I was writing this blog, and … Read more >>

Answers to clues marked with an asterisk are some of the “pseudo names” used by correspondents to the Eye a few issues ago. It started with a few die-hard footy fans trying to … Read more >>

Another fairly easy outing from Cyclops, particularly in comparison to his Saturday Prize Guardian Brummie (24-Jan) which I struggled with just before tackling this one, so I may be over-judging how easy this … Read more >>

A gentle start to 2009. Nothing here held me up – which is just as well as my accountant tells me I’m supposed to be preparing my tax return right now. I don’t … Read more >>

This Xmas special was worth looking forward to.  27×27 grid plus usual longish Cyclops clues must be the limit for a page in the Eye.  The special feature this year was that 12 … Read more >>

A few reasonably tricky clues this time, and a bit of a panic when stuck on 4D, so quite satisfying to finish this one in the end. This week’s Eye dropped on my … Read more >>

Cyclops getting in early with his opinion of Xmas at 1 Across? Across 1 HUMBUG HUM (stink) BUG (infection) Had me foxed till I got that first U. 5 FEROCITY (OF, ER)* AInd: … Read more >>

The theme this time is the recent 25A perpetrated by 5A/21 and 15A/8 which 8D and embarrassed the 11A. One of them has jumped ship before he 1D. The other has been suspended … Read more >>

If there is a theme to this crossword it is that Cyclops has used “Balls” in many clues in several different senses. Ed Balls naturally gets a thorough workout, and there are clues … Read more >>

Some particularly nice anagram clues this time. Across 7 ROOST ROO,ST 9 SCAPEGOAT S,CAPE,GOAT 10 MASTER-KEY (MEERKAT’S)* Y AInd: screwed Favourite clue: Penetrator of more than one hole, meerkat’s screwed an unknown quantity … Read more >>