Independent on Sunday 1,160/Hypnos
This was an enojyable Sunday solve, just about the right level of difficulty to fill a 45 minute gap waiting for the football to start in the pub. There’s a good mixture of … Read more >>
Everyman 3423/13 May 2012
I always look forward to blogging the Everyman puzzle, because there’ll be plenty of inventive but gettable clues and a wide range of references that often have me going off on a tangent … Read more >>
Azed 2084/Kibbutz HaOgen
Oddly enough my last clue was the one I should have recognized immediately (since I used to live on a kibbutz) — namely, 15A. On which I think Azed made a slight mistake. … Read more >>
Independent 7980 (Saturday Prize Crossword (12/05/12)
An excellent and thoroughly enjoyable themed puzzle from Radian, with some crafty misdirection in the use of the word ‘coinage’ and some thematic references in the wordplay to several clues even when they … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1017: Epilogue by Oxymoron
I blogged the last EV Oxymoron puzzle, with its Humphrey Bogart and Sir Isaac Newton theme. That was great fun, so hopefully more of the same here. Single letters were to be dropped … Read more >>
Guardian Prize No 25,634 by Paul
My turn to blog these prize puzzles seems to coincide with Paul’s turn to set them; I think that this is the third in a row. While continuing the trend for prize puzzles … Read more >>
Guardian 25,639 / Chifonie
A typically straightforward puzzle from Chifonie, with a preponderance of charade-type clues and insertions and a wide use of single-letter abbreviations. Chifonie is known for his smooth surfaces and there are some good … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,007 by Gurney
Very straightforward with lots of anagrams – couldn’t explain 9 across ACROSS 1 IN THE FIRST PLACE double definition 9 AS USUAL 10 CURRENT double definition 11 INDIE [w]INDIE[r] 12 TRAGEDIAN … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1158
Excellent. Long perimeter clues particularly nifty and the device used in 18a is classic ACROSS 1 Computer equipment dances behind tug TRACKERBALLS tug TRACKER dances BALLS 11 The French … Read more >>
Independent 7,985 / Phi
It’s Friday today so one is not surprised to find an example of Phi’s work to grapple with over breakfast. This was a puzzle of two halves for me in that I filled … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,006 by HAMILTON
This was absolute murder for me. For some reason – more to do with my weak brain than with the puzzle, I think – the whole east wing of this grid was a … Read more >>
Independent 7984 / Klingsor
Klingsor appears in The Independent every 5 to 6 weeks at the moment. Based on comments on this site and others, I assume his name is derived from the magician in Richard Wagner’s … Read more >>
Guardian 25,638 – Picaroon
A second outing for new setter Picaroon (first seen on 16th March), and another entertaining puzzle. He/she seems to have a rather distinctive style, but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,997 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword/May 7 Most Dante puzzles have at least one or two gems, but this one was rather standard – some might call it “typical Monday fare”. Not much to complain about, … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,996 by Mudd
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 5, 2012 While it sports a couple of fine clues — I would single out 11A (SADDLE-SORE) — I found this puzzle more of a … Read more >>