Unusual to see Mudd on Friday but a very welcome (if somewhat scary) setter nevertheless. I found his challenge today to be more approachable than some of his earlier ones. Clean cluing and neat surfaces meant a pleasurable solve this morning.
Guardian 26,482 by Pasquale
The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26482.
Guardian 26,481 / Paul
A mixture of some very succinct / straightforward clues [the last three, for instance] which wouldn’t be out of place in a Rufus puzzle, and others which were typically Pauline ones, in construction … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,841 by Aardvark
A smart, neat, enjoyable puzzle that didn’t cause me too many problems – with one exception.
Independent 8,827 / Morph
Morph is this week’s Thursday compiler and offers me my first Morph solve/blog of 2015. I found this puzzle a tough one to get into, although I knew that my perseverance would be … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,832 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword/Jan 19 Fairly typical Dante puzzle with – rather unusual – one clue that seems sort of problematic to me (9ac). Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate. Across 1 HUBRIS Shrub I cultivated … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,831 by Mudd
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 17, 2015 This struck me as a fairly typical Mudd with a few stand-out clues. Top among them are 1a (BANISTER), 27a (SPRING) and 3d … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,840 by MONK
Another solid over from Monk, no loose balls at all. Didn’t get me out this time though, and I even managed to find the nina. Thanks Monk, great stuff.
Independent 8826 / Quixote
Quixote delivers well clued crosswords where the wordplay leaves you in little doubt whether your entry is correct or not. Having said that, I was interested by the use of … Read more >>
Guardian 26,480 by Chifonie
A quick, enjoyable solve with very tidy clueing throughout. Favourites 25ac and 1dn. Thanks, Chifonie.
Inquisitor 1369: Options by Samuel
Samuel is a prolific setter for many publications that feature barred crosswords and his crosswords usually have a quirky theme. I think Samuel is now the editor of the Enigmatic Variations series in … Read more >>
Independent 8,825 by Eimi
A pleasant crossword from Eimi. Of course there are references to football and pop music, but I was expecting those. If there is a Nina I can’t see it; it all seems quite straightforward.
Definitions underlined where appropriate.
Guardian 26,479 – Brendan
A very welcome return by Brendan after an absence of more than six months. I thought this was going to be a walkover after filling in the NW corner very quickly, but things … Read more >>
Financial Times No. 14,839 by GURNEY
What’s not to like in a puzzle with good surface stories and unambiguous cryptic parsing?
Quiptic 793 by Pan
An extremely enjoyable challenge from Quiptic regular Pan.