Independent 7470/Phi

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As usual, an utterly satisfactory crossword from Phi. There are some less than A-list place names, but before anyone complains they should remember that Phi lives in New Zealand, so he has as … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,499 / Orense

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A transportation-themed crossword from Orense, with clues as well as solutions covering the spectrum from airplanes to bicycles. Nice and gentle to solve. No obscure vocabulary – a commendable feat for a themed … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,498 / Falcon

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Much of this flowed pretty readily from an instantly-solved 1A.  Ended up with a slight lack of “20-20” vision, as I was unfamiliar with the answers at 20A and 20D; both were generously … Read more >>

Guardian 25,123 – Paul

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It’s been a good Guardian week so far, and Paul continues the pattern with this entertaining puzzle. There were a few particularly easy clues to give a good start, and the rest weren’t … Read more >>

Independent 7,468 by Dac

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It’s never a hardship to blog a Dac, but I thought this one in particular was a bit of a classic. There’s some really inspired stuff in there. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic … Read more >>

Guardian 25,122 / Enigmatist

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A challenging but rewarding workout from Enigmatist, as is to be expected, with one or two really straightforward clues to give a bit of a foothold. I’ve  learned another new word  today at … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,496 / Phssthopk

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Nothing too tough here, except that the explanation for 3 down eludes me.  5 down was amusing, and many of the clues had fine surfaces. Across 1 MARSHLANDS MARS (alien planet) H (hard) … Read more >>

Independent 7,467/Anax

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Apologies for the late blog. I wasn’t expecting to see Anax though mercifully this didn’t turn out to be quite as tricksy as some previous offerings from this very entertaining and talented setter. … Read more >>