Guardian Quiptic 677/Beale
In case you think I have been hogging the blog recently, I am standing in again today for Peter O, who as a New York resident has been affected by Sandy. He is … Read more >>
Independent 8131/Eimi
Eimi has arisen from the player-manager’s seat in the dug-out, from where he normally barks instructions at his team, and donned his setting shirt to provide us with the Indy puzzle today. As … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1184 (28th Oct.) / Hypnos
Sorry for the tardy appearance of this post but I only heard a short while ago that the scheduled blogger is away and has no internet access. Fortunately I had twenty minutes to … Read more >>
Azed 2108/What? No Scots?
Might be wrong about this but seems like Azed has eschewed Scots terms for the duration. Of this puzzle at least. In favour of Latin and Greek. Across 1 BI(O)AS,SAY 7 AM(B)O – … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 112 by Tramp
Wow – thank goodness we get a month to do these – I take my hat off to those mentioned in the Grauniad’s dispatches with entries submitted in the early hours of the … Read more >>
Everyman 3447/28 October
Another nicely constructed and accessible puzzle from Everyman. One or two chestnuts, but – in the UK at least – it’s getting to that chestnutty time of year, and in a puzzle aimed … Read more >>
Independent 8,124 by Bannsider (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 27/10/12)
There may have been an involuntary “oh crikey” emitted when I opened the paper to discover I’d drawn a Bannsider to blog. In the event this wasn’t as hard as it might have … Read more >>
Guardian Prize No 25,778 / Paul
A harder than usual prize puzzle this week, I thought. A theme exploiting two meanings of an old chestnut which often crops up in cryptic crosswords. Thanks to Paul for a satisfying challenge. … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1041: What’s the Point by Oxymoron
I noticed last week that the deadline for EV entries moved, with effect from number 1039, from Friday to Thursday. I guess we should be posting our blogs sometime on Friday now, in … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,151 by Falcon
An enjoyable challenge Across 1 MAHLER (Gustav – composer) MAILER (Norman) H[ead] for I (Italian) 4 ADVANCED dd 10 JUMP LEADS (help to start car) JUMP (clear) LEADS (clues) 11 … Read more >>
Guardian 25,783 / Paul
A highly entertaining, characteristically Paul puzzle today, with lots of witty, clever and misleading surfaces and wordplay, so plenty of smiles and ‘aha’ moments to help the solving along. Many thanks, Paul, for … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1182
Fiendishly challenging Across 1 Got on without last of stage make-up FARD (make-up) [stag]E from FARED (got on) 6 Thin bit of vaulting in moulded steel SVELTE (thin) V[aulting] in … Read more >>
Independent 8,129 / Phi
Owing to a change in the scheduling a few weeks back, it had not fallen to me to blog a Phi puzzle for quite some time, although it was on the cards for … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,150 by Sleuth
It’s absolutely perishingly cold in Yorkshire this morning and I have run out of coffee – so thank goodness for Sleuth, who at least got my brain-cells humming (even if I can no … Read more >>
Independent 8128 / Scorpion
Scorpion is an occasional contributor to daily Independent puzzles, probably about once a month. When I solved this I noticed what I thought was a high number of entries ending … Read more >>