Guardian 24,950 / Arachne
Lots to enjoy in this crossword, I thought – in particular some good anagrams. I think it should have all been pretty straightforward, except for perhaps 19 across (which I really liked, though) … Read more >>
Independent 7296 by Phi
Usual excellent puzzle from Phi, solving time 32 mins. * = anagram < = reversed Themed, NW corner I found the hardest. ACROSS 1 LAM Back Theme of the puzzle, was 4A (MEATS) … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,045 (28/02/10)
A tough week, I found, so no danger of getting far without Chambers. Still an enjoyable challenge as always. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Across 1 SCOTCH MIST – SCOT … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,326 / Bradman
As always, an entertaining, challenging puzzle from Bradman. Required plenty of research/help to get this finished. Some lovely clues in here, and one that I cannot fully explain (24A). Across 1 MADAME ME … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1114 – Two Dozen by Loda
We found this a very interesting and entertaining crossword. I (Hi) found it easy to start, but difficult to finish – the opposite of my normal experience! Twelve across clues had to be … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,325 / Aardvark
A well-crafted tour through a variety of avenues of general knowledge today. We seem to cover everything from military history to folklore and geology, by way of a healthy dose of geography along … Read more >>
Independent 7,291 by Phi (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 27/02/10)
I seem to have got off lightly after some of the toughies we’ve had on recent Saturdays, which I’ve really struggled with. This, by stark contrast, didn’t put up much of a fight … Read more >>
Guardian 24,949 / Brendan
I consider myself very fortunate in drawing this one, as I blogged the last Brendan. There’s the usual witty and clever cluing and enough cross-reference to add interest, without making it too easy. … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1046 by Quixote – 28th Feb 2010
We polished this one off in the Bridge in Topsham, with pints of Branoc and hot pasties. What a wonderful afternoon. Found this easier than the previous puzzle, the vocab in this puzzle … Read more >>
Independent 7,295 by Mordred
An interesting one this, I think – neither too hard nor too easy, though for several the answer came more easily than the explanation. There’s a Nina across the third and antepenultimate rows … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,316 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword from 22 February 2010 Another smooth offering from the slick Dante. Very suitable for beginners to this delightful pastime of solving cryptic crosswords. ACROSS 1 NUDISM *(undies minus E) + … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,315 by Cinephile
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 20 The top-left corner of this puzzle took me a while. I especially like 21D. Across 1. HECUBA – HE-CUB (young male) + A (a) … Read more >>
Independent 7,294/Dac
It’s been a tough week so far in the Indy, but a good one. Dac’s puzzles are generally on the easier side, but never anything less than brilliant. I found the right hand … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,324 / Cinephile
The preamble states that five answers have something in common but by my count it could be six. These are: Little Red Riding Hood (2,3dn) and wolf (6dn) Pied Piper (8dn) and rats … Read more >>
Guardian 24,948 – Paul
I found it very hard to get started on this one, but getting 3dn, swiftly followed by 15dn, and most of the linked answers, filled up a lot of the grid, and the … Read more >>