Guardian 25,505 / Arachne
We know from Arachne’s numerous Marathon achievements that she’s not one to baulk at a challenge and this is her response to the gauntlet thrown down at the Sloggers and Betters get-together in … Read more >>
Independent 7,851 / Dac
I was looking forward to a Dac puzzle this Wednesday morning and I was not disappointed: a set of tightly clued entries with fathomable wordplay, yet enough of a challenge to tease the … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1206 – Gallic Wisdom by Kruger
I found this one – let’s not beat about the bush – very difficult. Without my laptop and Chambers on-line I would never have finished it! I have to say that the whole … Read more >>
Independent 7,850/Punk
I often grimace when I see puzzles in which many answers require initially solving a key clue, but this one was cracking stuff. Hard for sure, but very enjoyable, cracking stuff. For no … Read more >>
Financial Times 13875 Gurney
It’s back to business for me, with a thank you to Duncan for so ably holding the fort in the last 3 weeks. A gentle landing for me with today’s puzzle, thanks to Gurney. Some … Read more >>
Guardian 25,504 – Philistine
What a delightful puzzle from Philistine. Cleverly-crafted clues with some exquisite word-play. This is such a pleasure to solve and to blog. ACROSS 1 BUMPER-TO-BUMPER Ins of PERT O (cheeky love) in BUM … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 630 / Hectence
Today’s puzzle from Hectence had a good balance of clues and was easy to solve. Those new to cryptic crosswords might have struggled a bit with constructs like out-fits and de-tailed, but they … Read more >>
Guardian 25,503 – Rufus
Another straightforward but nicely-constructed puzzle from Rufus, with the usual smooth surfaces. Across 1. PORTRAYAL (PLAY OR ART)* 6. YVES Hidden in grubbY VESt 8. PUBLICAN PUBLIC … Read more >>
Independent 7849 by Quixote
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A fairly standard Monday puzzle from Quixote with a nice mixture of clues, mostly on the easy side. As is often the case, there … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,137
A great puzzle as always. Perhaps medium difficulty for a Beelzebub, but incorporating plenty of new words and phrases with which to wrestle. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Across 4 … Read more >>
Everyman No. 3401 (4th December)
Lorraine: Good morning to you all, I personally found this weeks puzzle slightly harder than usual and needed Nick’s help to finish it. Some very clever clues and a most enjoyable solve. Thank you … Read more >>
Azed 2062
You know what you are going to get with Azed – a puzzle that is clued scrupulously with surfaces that make a good deal of sense. Virtually every word in each clue … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1138: Crosophile
Crosophile’s Independent on Sunday puzzles seem to me to be pitched just right — fairly straightforward clues, but with some nice little deceptive twists, and plenty of amusing surface reading. Across 1 SNOWY … Read more >>
Independent 7842 (Saturday Prize Puzzle 03/12/11) by Tyrus
How lucky am I – A Tyrus puzzle to blog again. Perhaps, it might be time to start possibly cogitating a few answers. So a theme word this week, which is needed to … Read more >>
Guardian 25,496 / Crucible
A lovely puzzle from Crucible, and on the easy side for a prize puzzle, I thought. Once you’ve solved the clues, the rubric reads “Five COLOURS of the RAINBOW appear as solutions, not … Read more >>