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 >>
Independent 7983/Dac
Rather harder than the usual Dac I thought, with one or two words that were less than familiar. But, as always, the sort of thing he serves up week after week, with never … Read more >>
Sloggers and Betters (London) – 30th May
The annual lunch for Times setters is taking place on 30th May and this will be followed by a Sloggers and Betters get-together in The Town of Ramsgate (62 Wapping High Street E1) … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,005 by Cinephile
Easy for some. Old timers with find this easy, more of a ‘write in’ than a solve. However, I would not say this is an easy crossword for everyone as there are some obscure words … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic N° 25,637 by Paul
This shows Paul’s characteristic inventiveness in wordplay; fortunately I seem to be close to his wavelength. Across 1. See 15 – See 15 4. Fiddle with good seafood (6) SCAMPI A charade of … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1228: Characters by Shark
Quite a lot going here, and a grade 4 workout. Five works by x to be discovered … Original letters in down misprinted definitions {novel} spell out the first. Replacing x‘s initials … Read more >>
Financial Times 14004 Dante
This is the third time that I’ve blogged Rufus on Monday and his alter ego on Tuesday. So it appears that Rufus is becoming quite a regular starter for the FT week. Following … Read more >>
Independent 7982 / Glueball
A new compiler or someone in disguise? So many of the clues were related that it was difficult to know where to start. For the first five minutes – nothing! It wasn’t until … Read more >>
Guardian 25636 – Orlando
Quite a pleasant morning’s workout with a rich variety of devices to tax and tickle the brain. Next week, I shall be taking a short leave to attend the InterHash 2012 in Jogjakarta, … Read more >>
Independent 7981 by Quixote
Very good puzzle from Quixote. Very good surface readings, all fair. Straightforward wordplay for less familiar words. On another xword blogging site, one of the bloggers lists the (classical) music listened to while … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 25635 Rufus
It’s a regular Monday, in other words, it’s an enjoyable puzzle of dds and cds and anagrams from Rufus. A bit tricky towards the end, in the NW corner, which, for me, took as … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 652/Nutmeg
A pleasing Quiptic from Nutmeg, but she has included a number of cryptic definitions, which I found slightly tricky. Overall though, a well-constructed puzzle, with just one clue that I can’t quite get … Read more >>