Fifteensquared – Page 1403 – Never knowingly undersolved

Guardian 25,414 / Brendan

Tue August 30, 2011 at 11:09 am by Gaufrid

Uncle Yap is away on one of his hash runs today so I’m afraid you will have to put up with me instead. An interesting puzzle from Brendan today with an instruction in … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 615 Orlando

Mon August 29, 2011 at 4:50 pmMon August 29, 2011 at 11:23 am by scchua

Orlando has got both Quiptic and Cryptic spots today, including one word common to both solutions. This is definitely, and rightly so, the easier one. All nicely clued. Thanks Orlando. Definitions are underlined in the clues. … Read more >>

Guardian 25,413 / Orlando

Mon August 29, 2011 at 9:47 am by Eileen

After Araucaria’s Bank Holiday double challenge, a very pleasant diversion from Orlando for the holiday itself. I didn’t find this too taxing but there’s much to admire here: the usual wit, elegance and … Read more >>

Independent 7759 by Morph

Tue August 30, 2011 at 9:58 amMon August 29, 2011 at 9:00 am by NealH

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism Morph is becoming almost as regular on Mondays as Quixote and the clues are always of a high standard with good, often very topical … Read more >>

Cyclops 450: The Empire does not strike back

Mon August 29, 2011 at 12:01 am by jetdoc

As usual when I blog a Cyclops, I was held up by the wordplay of just one clue — in this case, 2/11d. Otherwise, all pretty straightforward. And I am on time this … Read more >>

Beelzebub 1122

Sun August 28, 2011 at 8:00 am by Jed

Could not have got poet at 23a without recourse to google. Indian word in 3d is spelt differently in Chambers. 8d was a very hard nut to crack. ACROSS 4 Bard’s not … Read more >>

Azed 2047 – “Cherchez la Femme”

Sun August 28, 2011 at 9:07 amSun August 28, 2011 at 12:05 am by Andrew

Azed last (and I think first) set a special of this kind in June 2008. Tilsit reported finding it very difficult (and I see from the comments that I did too), and I … Read more >>

Everyman N° 3,386 (21 August 2011)

Sun August 28, 2011 at 5:25 pmSun August 28, 2011 at 12:01 am by PeterO

A pleasant solve, with a good variety of clue types. A certain amount of general knowledge is required, but nothing seems to me to be too obscure, although in 11A we have the … Read more >>

Guardian Prize 25,406 / Brummie

Sat August 27, 2011 at 1:17 pmSat August 27, 2011 at 1:00 am by Eileen

I was away for the weekend and took my Guardian with me. I was, naturally, amazed and disappointed to find the previous day’s Araucaria’s puzzle when I opened it to solve the crossword! … Read more >>

Independent 7752 by Nestor (Saturday prize puzzle 20th August 2011)

Sat August 27, 2011 at 12:12 am by twencelas

A tricky one this week from Nestor, with a good use of different vocabulary to direct or mis-direct the solver. I found this quite a slog – an enjoyable 27 clues, picked off … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.980 – Balancing Acts by Nudd

Sat August 27, 2011 at 12:00 am by Mister Sting

Balancing Acts, eh? What sort of acrobatics does Nudd have in store? He/She/It tells us to highlight “the work in which the quotation was originally attributed”. That’s an odd instruction – what can … Read more >>

Guardian N° 25,411 by Gordius

Fri August 26, 2011 at 3:46 pm by PeterO

Once I had dug out the answer to 1A, this puzzle gave me little trouble. Gordius comes up with several ingenious misdirections, and a smile at 24A; but there are also some clues (10A, 13A, 17A) where he seems to be waving his arms about furiously to indicate the answer. I submitted this blog first to Gaufrid, who had a few useful comments; my thanks to him.