Azed 1809 – an easy one?
Solving time just 22:44 – I normally take at least twice that if not 3 times, so either I was on fire that day or it was a lot easier than usual…(but I … Read more >>
Independent 6,337/Dac
This was a gentle introduction to a Wednesday, mainly because I was able to solve the four longer entries very quickly, thus giving me lots of checked letters. Solving time – about 10 … Read more >>
Guardian 23994/Paul – heavyweight puzzle
Solving time: 45’ I found this enjoyable though slow going because Paul’s wordplay is often subtle and surprising and he certainly likes subtraction clues. I got the boxer theme first and then the … Read more >>
Independent 6336/Virgilius — It’s off to work I go.
Having just returned from a trip working away I thought I had remembered which puzzle I was meant to be blogging today. Once I got to the newsagent’s I had doubts and decided … Read more >>
Guardian 23,993/Shed – Am I homophonic?
If I was asked what type of clues I’d like to see outlawed, it would definitely be homophones. There is an outrageous (in my opinion at least) example of this at 8dn, unless … Read more >>
Guardian 23,992, Audreus: All your bases are ded
It’s more the Indy’s kind of thing, but I’ve started looking for a themed message, especially in these puzzles with unchecked squares around the perimeter. From the top left I came up with BASES … Read more >>
Independent 6335/Glow-worm
Listener solvers will recognise the pseudonym but I think this is the first Glow-worm puzzle to appear in the Independent since we started this blog. I found it pretty easy but good fun … Read more >>
Independent 6328 / Nestor – arty and crafty
Solving time: 30 minutes More ingenious clues from Nestor here, making a puzzle I found very hard – I suspect others who struggled more than me on other Nestors will have beaten me … Read more >>
Everyman 3148/Jan 28 – monocled tunnel vision
Far ranging puzzle: from ENFIELD to the ACROPOLIS. I also learnt that under the Mersey there are several tunnels, and I thought the only way cross the Mersey was via ferry, a la … Read more >>
Guardian 23,985/Paul (Sat 27 Jan) – ‘D’ for Discrepant, expressed profanely
Solving time: 10:57 When I started doing the Guardian I wasn’t so keen on Paul’s puzzles, simply because I wasn’t used to the more liberal style. Now I’m more familiar with Guardianese he’s … Read more >>
Inquisitor #4 – Venus de Milo by Schadenfreude
Once I worked out the theme of this crossword, I rattled through it at a fair rate of knots, and completed all bar 4 clues in about half an hour. Then I got … Read more >>
Independent 6333/Nimrod – Enigmatic
As with my last review of a Nimrod puzzle there were a few clues in this that I didn’t understand so I’m obviously still having problems tuning in. To be fair, I don’t … Read more >>
Guardian 23990/Taupi – Racy
A couple of racy clues and American states. Unrelated. I found myself solving many of the clues from the definition and struggling to work out the wordplay while writing these notes – I … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 885 by Quixote – not too difficult
I found this one fairly straightforward. Solving time: 14 mins * = anagram ACROSS 5 TEMP O RISE 7 CROW D Murder is a collective word for crows. 10 ANNE LI (51) DAN … Read more >>
Independent 6332 by Punk – Got there in the end
This is Punk’s third puzzle in the Indy. He’s Paul in the Guardian, who I’ve heard praised a lot, but he’s said to be hard, and he also sets in the Times. So I approached … Read more >>