Found this enjoyable and tough – got stuck in the west half of the grid, but Chifonie’s usual neat clueing got me there in the end. 20ac last in, and probably my favourite.
Financial Times 14626 Armonie
(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) A straightforward and enjoyable puzzle from … Read more >>
Financial Times 14626 with Picture Quiz
(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) A straightforward and enjoyable puzzle from Armonie, to whom, thanks. Definitions are underlined in … Read more >>
Independent 8,610 by Radian
A high-quality crossword from Radian which took me longer than it should have done in retrospect, since the clues are generally quite clear, as witness the fact that many of the explanations below have been explained without words.
The theme is 18ac words, of which we have examples in 11ac (probably), 25ac, 13dn, 15dn, 19dn and no doubt several others that I can’t immediately see. There are some words, like 4dn or 23dn, whose letters are formed in a certain way, but they are not so far as I know 18ac words.
Definitions in italics.
Guardian Quiptic 757 / Moley
My apologies for the late appearance of this post. I needed to be reminded (thanks Pierre) that the scheduled blogger had not turned up. In the interest of minimising the lateness, I will … Read more >>
Independent 8,609 by Quixote
Back to normal after a weekend away in the sunny East Midlands.
Guardian 26,263 – Logodaedalus
No rhyming couplets today, just a lot of very easy clues, including a large number of double defintions. There were a couple of words that I didn’t know, but even they didn’t detain … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,262
Goodness me, this was a tough one. I’ve been working on it until today, and I’m not even quite finished now. 9 down and 15 across remain to be solved, while 21 across … Read more >>
AZED 2,188
A French theme to this week’s puzzle.
Everyman 3527/11 May
Another entertaining and cleverly clued puzzle from Everyman, although there were – unusually – a couple that didn’t really hit the spot for me this morning. You’ll no doubt tell me if I … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,264 by Poins
Good stuff from Poins, no gimmicks – just sound clues all the way. Thanks Poins.
Independent 8,602 by Anax (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 10/05/14)
Well I never, I’ve actually finished an Anax puzzle! It isn’t actually the first time, to be entirely honest, but it’s rare enough that it’s still a bit of a thrill. And this … Read more >>
Guardian Prize Puzzle 26,256 by Paul
No mystery about the theme of this puzzle: it was all about birds.
Enigmatic Variations No. 1120: Curious Cocktail by Rustic
Another poignant moment, as the preamble informs us that this is the very last EV from Rustic (James Leonard) – instigator of the EV series and its editor for 20-odd years – who died … Read more >>
Independent 8,607 / Phi
No surprise this morning to have Phi’s latest offering to grapple with over breakfast. I found this a tougher than average Phi solve, not least since the three clues that I was unable … Read more >>