I got confused about dates and forgot it was my turn to blog. I have explained the solutions but I cheated copiously to get the blog out quickly so I won’t pass any further comment. Apologies for the lateness and to Paul for not giving the puzzle the attention it deserved.
Independent 9,680 by Tyrus
Haven’t see Tyrus for a bit, so this should be fun. Tyrus is no stranger to the themed puzzle, and the grid certainly looks ripe for a Nina. Not that I seemed to … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1299: Vicious Circle by Raffles
‘Only’ thirty clues (with a quotation round the perimeter), so surely VICIOUS CIRCLE is an EV blogger’s delight? But I found it hard to get going at first, although I squared the circle in … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 27,333 by Arachne
Arachne is always a pleasure, with some truly excellent surfaces. Favourites were both 1s, 14ac, 22ac, 27ac, 2dn and 16dn.
Independent 9679 / Phi
After a pleasant three to four weeks in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Montreal I’m back in harness with a Phi puzzle to solve and blog. Geography seems to be a … Read more >>
Financial Times 15,685 by PETO
I usually dont see PETO on Fridays so its always nice to solve/blog an infrequent setter (for Fridays atleast). Generally easy solve much aided by precise cluing. A new word or two .. quite an enjoyable experience. Thanks Peto !!
Guardian 27,332 – Paul
I solved this more or less from the bottom up, finding the SE corner very easy but the rest much less so. A few bits of general knowledge needed, though nothing too obscure … Read more >>
Independent 9,678 by Knut
Thursday, and something difficult was to be expected. But most of this went in easily enough, although in the end I did take a bit longer than usual over this very pleasant crossword from Knut.
Financial Times 15,684 by NEO
This one’s for solvers who like a bit of general knowledge in their puzzles…
Financial Times 15,675 – Falcon
Monday Prize Crossword / Oct 9, 2017
Safe & Sound offering from Falcon, ideal for those learning the game.
Financial Times 15,674 by Goliath
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of 7 October, 2017.
Financial Times 15,683 by GAFF
Sorry about the lateness of this blog. I have the odd query with the clues, but this may just be me rushing to get the blog out quickly. Thank you Gaff.
Independent 9677 / Punk
Punk fills the Wednesday slot this week – and it’s nearly a year since we had the pleasure of blogging one of his puzzles. This lived up to our expectations – with … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 27,331 by Chifonie
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27331.
Inquisitor 1511: Optical Illusion by Radler
I recall that Radler‘s previous puzzle about collective nouns involved a lot of cold-solving, and to cap it all I highlighted the wrong cells in the grid to form SKEIN. Let’s see what … Read more >>