Never knowingly undersolved
Another cleverly spun web of intrigue and verbal artifice from our Spider Lady. And of course, today being a special day for romance and lovers, I was expecting to see the theme right … Read more >>
Thanks Orlando for a staple Quiptic – cryptic definitions, double definitions, some cryptic too, and not too complex charades and anagrams. Elegantly straightforward clues, but still enjoyable. Definitions are underlined in the clues. … Read more >>
Not quite so many cryptic definitions this morning, which will please those who don’t like them, but plenty of the characteristic double definitions and some excellent anagrams in this fun puzzle to start … Read more >>
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A nice puzzle from Quixote, although possibly a bit two much of the two Rs – Royalty and Religion – to be entirely enjoyed … Read more >>
Usual delightful variety to extend the vocabulary – 5d is one such. Once flew with 24a – there was a fly buzzing on the plane and we were served lukewarm, brown lemonade. … Read more >>
I blogged the Hypnos Sunday puzzle last month and enjoyed it, and I enjoyed this one too; but I found it just as tricky, especially the NE corner. I need help with one, … Read more >>
A typical Everyman – nothing too elaborate, well-constructed and varied clues, with the odd bit of general knowledge thrown in, which should be gettable even if you are not the general who knows it.
I was a little apprehensive when I saw that the blogging cycle had delivered me a jigsaw puzzle, because these tend to need a lot of “cold-solving” of clues before any progress can … Read more >>
This was magnificent. A great theme, well executed. Many thanks to… well, to whom, exactly? There seems to be a fair amount going on – unclued entries, additional words and subsidiary indications, and … Read more >>
For me, this was the most enjoyable Prize puzzle for ages. Some clues kept me guessing, as they should, in a Prize, but they were all quite clear in the end, after a … Read more >>
What the Hell?! I know it is a Nimrod, but I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition!… A veritable tour-de-force from a master of the dark arts of cruciverbalism…a multi-layered thematic (and anniversarial?) puzzle to fry the mind, … Read more >>
An intelligent and varied offering from the Don. Struggled to find the cryptic nature of 16down unless it’s tongue-in-cheek? ACROSS 1 SALMAGUNDY anagram of SLUDGY A MAN a 17th century … Read more >>
I had considered indicating the definition part of each clue, but had not done so, because (a) I’m basically lazy, and (b) I detail the wordplay, and whatever is left over is generally the definition. If there is anything unusual about the definition, I will add a note to that effect (particularly for a Quiptic or Everyman, which are generally geared to the less experienced solver). However , the discussion of the last few days seems to indicate a desire for a more explicit indication, so I am happy to oblige: definitions are underlined (which, as we shall see, is not always a trivial matter).
A fairly tricky themed puzzle for our first weekday blog. It seems only a short time ago that we were lurkers. We used to complete the Indy late in the evening and by … Read more >>
When I saw the rather strange grid, with six 15-letter words and only 22 answers, it immediately seemed that something was afoot, but I can’t see anything. Perhaps there is indeed something there, … Read more >>