Never knowingly undersolved
A double dose of Samuel this week, with the (rather more light-hearted?) Inquisitor 1183 in the Indy on Saturday as well. The preamble here indicated a quotation from extra letters in wordplay, a thematic … Read more >>
A nice themed puzzle from Phi, which provided quite a challenge even though I cracked the key clue fairly early on. I freely admit I needed to have a quick look in my … Read more >>
Very much enjoyed this puzzle. Nice smooth surfaces, sleek wordplay throughout. I had a little trouble parsing a couple of clues. I entered 25a without fully understanding it and it is only while … Read more >>
An excellent and highly enjoyable puzzle from Paul to end a rather mixed week, with lots of his trademark humour. Hooray! (And don’t forget to listen to Araucaria on Desert Island Discs on … Read more >>
One of those mornings when I stared for five minutes at the empty grid with a deepening conviction that every single clue was nothing but incomprehensible gibberish… but the mental logjam broke, eventually, … Read more >>
The other day Eimi gave the impression that there would be something difficult on Thursday. Now we see, and yes, it was difficult. There are one or two clues that don’t seem very … Read more >>
A straightforward but pleasing offering from Gordius.
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 25 Cincinnus is in good form here with four clues that I especially applaud: 16A (HARANGUE), 21A (HOUSEBOUND), 26 (AGHAST) and 3D (STRIPLING). And maybe … Read more >>
This is a rushed post, I’m afraid, so apologies for any errors. (Also I probably won’t be able to make corrections until much later.) I didn’t enjoy this much, partly due to circumstances … Read more >>
So after a week off for good behaviour DAC returns with a crossword I found a little harder than usual. Probably just me though. Across 1 LIKE BLAZES Cryptic Double Definition. 6 … Read more >>
Monk is one of my favourite setters so I was very pleased to see him return to the FT and Indy after an eighteen month sabbatical. However, I don’t remember ever taking as … Read more >>
The blog now arriving on platform 152 is the late running 1183 from kenmac. What a tough offering from Samuel! This puzzle came out on the day of the Sloggers and Betters do … Read more >>
This was a pleasant solve, quite straightforward with some nice surfaces. Thanks Jason. (Definitions are underlined in the clues.) Across 1 One in west coast city selling aromatic shrub (8) LAVENDER : An … Read more >>
I started this puzzle expecting there to be some kind of hidden message around the perimeter that would hold the key to the puzzle’s theme. Instead, there was no Nina to be found … Read more >>
I am indeed lucky. Last week, Paul got me off to a hilarious day and today, I am rewarded with a Masterly puzzle from Araucaria with a mini-theme that should become apparent. ACROSS … Read more >>