Financial Times 13,134 / Armonie
A quick and easy puzzle today. No complaints though; I thought the clues were generally clean and concise, with good surfaces. Across 1 DESPOT S (head of security) in DEPOT (store) 5 TACKLING … Read more >>
Independent 7101 by Eimi
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def A neat, cricket-themed puzzle that was fairly enjoyable. There was some clever cricket misdirection, 2 down being a good example. There ware one or two … Read more >>
Guardian 24,756 (Rufus)
It’s Monday and Rufus is up to his usual tricks Across 1 PACIFISTS: and they don’t like to strike! 6 AGED: anagram of AGED 10 EVERY: E (cigarettE end) + VERY (a signalling … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 395 – Iffy pong
Good stuff from Mr C in this issue. Some tricky clues which I don’t think I could get without the crossing letters, but plenty pencilled in after a first pass to get going. … Read more >>
Everyman 3276
Not too easy this week with some good surfaces and not too much general knowledge required. Overall I rather enjoyed this one, with my main complaint being about 18dn. Across 1 PLOUGH – … Read more >>
Azed 1937/plain sailing
Only realized this morning (Friday) that it was my Azed turn this week. A couple of hours of quality time spent with Chambers led to a full grid and a short list of … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,012 (12/07/09)
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. I thought this was a vintage week for Beelzebub and I spent a solid hour or so engrossed in it – a very pleasant way … Read more >>
Guardian 24,749 (Sat 11 Jul)/Araucaria – Pompey the grate
Solving time: Gave up on 3dn and 6dn after 15 mins. Maybe I should have spent longer on the two I couldn’t solve before turning to references, but the problem was that there … Read more >>
Independent 7099/Phi
What one always gets from Phi — sound clueing, much of it very pleasing, a few complete anagrams, and the occasional musical reference (actually only one I think, unusually few). Across 5 A D JUST … Read more >>
Guardian 24,754 – Bonxie
An unusual grid and an unusual theme, today. I don’t think the answers ere particularly linked to the theme, mind you. Across 7. DEPOSED. SEEDPOD* 8. NOWHERE. WON<< + HERE. 9. REND. (cove)R … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,131 / Alberich
Alberich is such a delight to solve. Many great clues here, my favourites were USURY, UNHINGE, INANE. Almost no specialist knowledge needed in this puzzle, the difficulty comes from clever wordplay. I found … Read more >>
Independent 7094 (Prize Puzzle 11 July) by Radian
09:00 Saturday morning, 11th July, before I had gone out to buy the Independent, there was a news item on the radio that indicated it was 150 years to the day since the … Read more >>
EV870 Landmark by Loda
A few misprinted letters didn’t really tell me anything but getting 5dn and a couple of the potentially intersecting across answers helped. I guessed that some squares would be left blank and looking … Read more >>
Inquisitor 132 – EXCESS by Phi
Well, here goes with my first blog. I picked up my Independent with some trepidation but as soon as I turned to The Inquisitor and saw that it was by Phi, I breathed … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,130 / Falcon
Plenty of bread and butter stuff, including a liberal sprinkling of double definitions in the downs. I think I was fortunate in that I had pretty much instant recall of the handful of … Read more >>