Azed 1977
A mostly straightforward puzzle, which I think took me around 40 minutes, with Chambers just used at the end to find the answer to 16D and correct my daft mistake at 23A. This … Read more >>
Everyman 3316
Pretty nice this week. 10ac I am not sure of the exact correct parsing (I have 2 options which both seem equally likely) but I’m sure someone will clarify. Also I think 6dn … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 910: All the Initials by Oxymoron
A fairly straightforward puzzle from Oxymoron this week. Each clue requires a letter or a word to be removed before solving. These spell out a quotation which reflects the clues and suggests how … Read more >>
Guardian 24,987 (Sat 17 Apr)/Araucaria – Plane sailing
Solving time: 13 mins The theme here was British World War II aircraft, not really my forte although I had heard of most of these (apart from the Vickers Wellington at 27ac); of … Read more >>
Independent 7,338 by Phi
I’ll freely admit to finding this a bit of a challenge, and suspect I won’t be the only one. There were a good handful of unfamiliar terms and some quite complex wordplay in … Read more >>
Guardian 24,992 / Logodaedalus
I’d half expected a St George or Bardic theme today. There’s a small nod to the latter but, otherwise, I haven’t really anything to say about this: there’s nothing exceptional or exceptionable, I … Read more >>
Financial Times 13367 / Falcon
I am returning to 15sqd as a stand-in for Shuchi. A none-too-difficult crossword, though there are a couple of unusual words, which are easily obtainable from wordplay. Clueing mostly fits the bill, which … Read more >>
Saturday Prize Crossword – Independent 7333 by Anax
Very unusual and impressive puzzle, this, which I found somewhat easier than previous Indy puzzles by Anax, solving time, 44 mins. One or two I’m not fully sure of, though am reasonably confident. … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,336 / Orense
My second blogging encounter with Orense of late. Not the most strenuous of workouts, but he’s always a pleasure/never a chore. Am running late today, so please excuse the skimpy blog. Across 1 … Read more >>
Independent 7337 / Tyrus
Some rather tricky clues today which meant that this was far from a quick solve for me. With hindsight everything was fair (if you have a good knowledge of Scottish geography, the first book of the … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1053 by Quixote 18th April 2010
A pleasant and fairly quick solve over a pint in our local. We were pleased to get both 8ac and 23ac, which were words and phrases we did know, but had to root … Read more >>
Guardian 24,991 / Araucaria
A good puzzle from Araucaria, much of it quite easy (a relief to me) with perhaps 3 more difficult clues. I don’t get the subsidiary of 14 across, so any explanations would be … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1121 – Associates by Lato
Well, this one put up a fight but I won through in the end. I guess it must have taken me about 5 hours over about 4 days. The title and preamble didn’t … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,357 – Crux
Monday Prize Crossword on 12 April 2010 Another soft introduction to the FT week with a wide variety of cryptic devices ranging from the simple anagram to homophones to double definitions; none too … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,356 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the weekend FT of April 10 Cincinnus keeps up his great style. My favourite clues here are 1A, 16&17A, 24A and 6D. Across 1. CAPONS – CAP (EU policy) + … Read more >>