Never knowingly undersolved
Radian has provided today’s cruciverbal challenge, the first of his puzzles that I have blogged in a while. Crime and punishment is the theme that runs through this puzzle, with references (both direct … Read more >>
Relatively undemanding stuff from Armonie today. Very Tuesday FT-ish.
An enjoyable outing from Vigo of moderate difficulty.
Only three cryptic definitions today, and three doubles (or possibly 4+2). With mostly straightforward constructions in the other clues, I got through this very quickly, Thanks to Rufus … Read more >>
An easy enough Quiptic. Thanks to Moley. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Waste material is in decline (6) REFUSE : Double defn: 2nd: … , an invitation, say. 4 Disturbed, … Read more >>
Thankfully not quite so much Trumpery in this puzzle. We seem to have a run of Eye puzzles lately where many answers fell into the grid quite quickly leaving few to do after … Read more >>
In contrast to my usual method of solving Azed over Sunday breakfast, I did this one intermittently while on a walking holiday on Scotland, so it’s hard to tell how its difficulty compares … Read more >>
A few unfamiliar bits and bobs to get to grips with this week. All very fairly clued though, so I think everything was manageable in the end. Across 1 STAR Expression of annoyance … Read more >>
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3696.
This turned out to be an easier solve than we had expected, given Anax’s reputation, and the fact that it’s a Saturday puzzle. We were however held up by a few unusual words … Read more >>
It was a pleasure to see Philistine’s name on the Prize puzzle, after a week of excellent crosswords – not so challenging as he can be but very enjoyable all the same. … Read more >>
‘In GOOD AUSPICES, answers to unclued entries in single-digit positions are thematically related; those at 11 (so they say) belong to a later set. Unchecked and mutually cross-checking letters of these unclued entries could spell WIND IS UP – I HALT DOZINGS. A seven-letter word which might be seen during the transition must be appropriately coloured (in whatever manner), as must two linked identical squares of four cells each. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.’
This seemed to be a much harder Phi than usual. Once done it all seemed simple enough, as witness the simple parsing of almost all the answers. But in many cases the ‘synonyms’ that we had to find in the wordplay were not at all obvious. All perfectly fair, though.
The difficulty also was exacerbated by the large number of clues that required some sort of subtraction; at a quick count I found seven of them.
Some general knowledge needed today…
A thoroughly enjoyable, not too difficult challenge from Alberich. Several clues with excellent construction, in my opinion. A couple of words that I didnt know but were clued quite cleanly. Thanks Alberich, for a pleasant workout.