Fifteensquared – Page 1324 – Never knowingly undersolved

Azed 2070 – Jigsaw

Sun February 12, 2012 at 11:23 amSun February 12, 2012 at 12:01 am by Andrew

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 >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1003 – Identity Crisis by 1ac or 44ac

Tue March 6, 2012 at 2:32 pmSat February 11, 2012 at 10:45 am by Mister Sting

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 >>

Guardian Prize 25,550 / Crucible

Sat February 11, 2012 at 12:02 am by Eileen

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 >>

Independent 7896 by Nimrod (Saturday Prize Puzzle 4 February 2012)

Sat February 11, 2012 at 12:26 pmSat February 11, 2012 at 12:01 am by mc_rapper67

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 >>

Financial Times 13,924 by Bradman

Fri February 10, 2012 at 10:17 am by Jed

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 >>

Guardian Cryptic N° 25,555, by Boatman

Fri February 10, 2012 at 5:31 pmFri February 10, 2012 at 4:08 am by PeterO

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).

Independent 7901/Radian

Fri February 10, 2012 at 12:05 am by Bertandjoyce

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 >>

Independent 7900/Monk

Thu February 9, 2012 at 12:08 pm by John

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 >>

Financial Times no.13,923 by AARDVARK

Thu February 9, 2012 at 10:48 am by Ringo

I don’t think I’ve encountered many Aardvarks before in my Thursday slot; in any event, there was nothing here to drive me to echo Edmund Blackadder’s furious exclamation: “If I ever meet an … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25554 Paul

Thu February 9, 2012 at 5:27 pmThu February 9, 2012 at 10:40 am by scchua

This was an interesting puzzle, thanks Paul. It was challenging and hard to get into because the gateway clue to the theme, was tricky – complex wordplay and an unusual definition. Definitions are … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,914 – Mudd

Mon February 13, 2012 at 1:12 amThu February 9, 2012 at 12:15 am by Sil

Monday Prize Crossword/Jan 30 It is not very often that Mudd appears on a Monday, but there he was. There were several nice clues with matching surfaces (1ac, 15ac, 26ac and 1d, to … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,913 by Cincinnus

Thu February 9, 2012 at 10:06 amThu February 9, 2012 at 12:01 am by Pete Maclean

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 28, 2012 Here is another impeccable and highly enjoyable puzzle from Cincinnus. My top-ratings go to 25A (FLEECE), 28A (ATHERTON), 7D (STOMA), 16D (KILLER BEE) … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,922 by Gozo

Wed February 8, 2012 at 11:34 am by PeeDee

I always enjoy getting a Gozo crossword to blog, and this week was no exception. Gozo grids are always themed – this time all the definitions are geographical locations. I think this is … Read more >>

Independent 7,899 / Dac

Wed February 8, 2012 at 10:34 am by RatkojaRiku

After a struggle with last week’s puzzle, it was nice to be back in Dac’s safe hands again today. This was an easier-than-average Dac solve for me this morning, with some fairly accessible … Read more >>

Guardian 25,553 / Gordius

Wed February 8, 2012 at 4:42 pmWed February 8, 2012 at 9:53 am by Eileen

After my blog of the last Gordius puzzle [unbelievably, only twelve days ago – I could think, like Kenneth Williams, that ‘They’ have it in for me 😉 ] I will forgo a … Read more >>