AZED No. 2,028 Plain
Nick: Nice AZED this week, which I rate 7/10 on the ‘AZED hardness’ scale. Some novel cluing going on, e.g. 12ac and 23dn. My last in was 20ac, which took me a while to … Read more >>
Everyman No. 3367 (10th April)
Lorraine Morning peeps, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, up and running the moment I looked at it. A couple of hard anagrams, 16ac and 7dn – but a very strange … Read more >>
Independent 7638 Morph (Sat 9-Apr-2011)
I’m not sure but I think this is his first grid in the Saturday Prize slot. I certainly found it tougher than usual for a Morph, (only 4 answers entered on first pass … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 25,292 / Bonxie
If I wanted to give a title to this puzzle, I think I’d simply borrow one of Shakespeare’s. 🙂 Not so long ago, Bonxie gave us a puzzle where every across clue and … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 961 – Whither Goest Thou? by Charybdis
That title, a grid with a big ‘X’ in the middle, and a preamble indicating that there were eight clashing cells, extra letters in word play would lead to instructions, and a ‘route’ to be … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,669 / Sleuth
At the easier end of Sleuth’s spectrum with 5d, the longest word of the puzzle, falling quickly and supplying helpful letters down the center of the grid. I worked my way from the … Read more >>
Guardian 25,297 – Gordius
A fairly typical Gordius, with some reasonable clues, including some that revealed their secrets very easily, and also quite a few that I have quibbles about. I can’t fully explain 13ac and 26ac, … Read more >>
Independent 7,643/Phi
Great stuff as ever from our resident Friday setter. Elegant surfaces, excellent wordplay, no quibbles. All good. It may be coincidence, but is that a setter’s name Nina that I see in the … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,659 / Dante
Prize Puzzle from the Monday April 4 FT If you like cryptic definitions, there are some sterling examples here. I particularly liked 14 down; 27 across and 11 across were also pleasing. Across … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,668 / Falcon
Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. First, no puzzle available last night at the FT website and then no copies of the paper itself at my station this morning. Online matters … Read more >>
Guardian 25,296 by Araucaria
I note the number of times in this post that I have added a note on the definition, more often because of obliqueness than obscurity. … I am fortunate to draw another very … Read more >>
Independent 7642/Anax
Solving time : Absolutely ages. There was a time when I went eagerly to Anax’s crosswords but recently they seem to have been becoming so impossibly difficult that I tend not to do … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,658 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 2 Here’s another elegant puzzle from Cincinnus. My favourite clues this time are 1A (SYBARITIC), 11A (LEGISLATOR), 20A (ANTI), 21D (TWERP) and 24D (HAUL). 13D … Read more >>
Guardian 25,295 / Arachne
An enjoyable and fairly easy puzzle from Arachne today. Across 9. HOT POTATO HOT = “popular” + POTATO = “King Edward?”; Definition: “Sensitive matter” 10. ANIME A followed by EMIN = “modern artist” … Read more >>
Independent 7636 by Dac
The usual exquisite clueing by Dac, some fantastic surfaces but lovely stuff as ever, one of his more gentle offerings. Sorry this is a bit rushed, so a fairly bare-boned blog today. Across … Read more >>