Guardian 24,460/Araucaria – Man, Oh Man
Apologies for a brief and slightly belated blog. A nice theme involving various hominids, starting with the first three across clues. I needed to look up a few of the synonyms to check … Read more >>
Independent 6,804
Silly me, I forgot that I’d be nowhere near a PC all day today, so I set about solving this one online at midnight in a bid to get it blogged before bed. … Read more >>
Independent 6803 by Phi
I found this quite an easy puzzle, solving time 14 mins. I spotted a Nina (i.e. a hidden message) in the grid. In case solvers wish to look again first, I refer to … Read more >>
Financial Times 12838 / Highlander
We know the words ‘enunciate’ and ‘announce’ but not many of us may be familiar with the one at 6d. However, it’s obtainable easily from wordplay. Seasoned solvers will get all the other … Read more >>
Guardian 24,459 – Chifonie
dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Quite an enjoyable and easy puzzle somewhat … Read more >>
Independent 6802 by Nimrod
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed A clever but tricky puzzle which played on one of the crossword setters’ staples, the doh, re, me notes (the proper name of which is tonic sol-fa). Most of the … Read more >>
Guardian 24,458 – Rufus
If it’s Monday, it must be a Rufus day! And thank the Lord for that! I always enjoy Rufus – his puzzles are often easier to solve but never boring. This one has … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops Crossword 370 – Descent …
… of the one-armed pedant Across 1 KOWTOW K[ens] O[ffice] WOW around T[ime] 1 Across is last to go in again. I think it must be that my brain cell is not warmed … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 61: That’s One… Word, by Paul
A challenging solve, especially for those unfamiliar with Paul’s somewhat libertarian approach; but plenty of fun, and I got through it pretty quickly once I’d solved about four. All answers begin with the … Read more >>
Azed 1887: Calling a spade a spade (or a foot plough)
A more demanding puzzle than some of Azed’s recent ones; and, to me, all the better for that. As usual, I learnt a few new words, though I’m not sure when I’ll ever … Read more >>
Guardian 24,451 – Araucaria
From Prize Crossword 24451 – 26th July 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = … Read more >>
FT 12,835/Adamant – “We are (mildly) amused”
At the risk of unintentionally damning with faint praise, I’d describe this as a pretty run-of-the-mill challenge today. A couple of clues stood out for me (e.g. 14A) and 25A was the only … Read more >>
Daily Telegraph and Enigmatic Variations puzzles
As some of you might know there used to be a blog like this one dedicated to the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword. Since its demise a few people have asked if we would … Read more >>
Guardian goes free
The Guardian crossword site currently states the following Guardian crosswords are going free From September 1 you will be able to access all of the Guardian’s crosswords online for free. As a result … Read more >>
Independent 6800 by Phi
Themed puzzle based on 24. When I saw HAWK hidden in the 2nd across clue, 6, I went straight to 24, and worked out BIRD. Bullet-proof clueing as always from Phi. I worked … Read more >>