Independent 9,592 by Vigo

Vigo has always been marginally difficult: not horribly so, but significantly. This crossword I found almost as easy as anything the Independent ever produces, and amazingly so for a Tuesday, which is usually one of the harder days. Not that that is a bad thing: it’s a positive on blogging day, and in any case the crossword itself was a good one: simple clues, but all sound and enjoyable. My only carp is with the use (twice, I think) of ‘with’ as a link-word, something that I find almost impossible to justify on logical grounds, although I have seen people who know rather more about these things than I do making a case for it.

Definitions underlined and in maroon.

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Guardian 27,246 / Shed

A rare and welcome appearance from Shed, who has always been one of my favourites. I think it’s generally agreed here that Shed’s puzzles are much gentler than they used to be but, … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 27,245 by Pan

I think this is Pan’s first Monday Cryptic, after many Monday Quiptics and a few other Cryptics. Lots to like, including 12ac, 8dn, 22dn and 27dn – and my last in was 21ac which was guessed but very gettable. Thanks, Pan.

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S & B Macclesfield – puzzle by Dutch

Dutch, a (well-appreciated) recent addition to the Independent stable, wrote a crossword that can be found by clicking on: Dutch @ Macclesfield That is how far it gets here at Fifteensquared. The solution and … Read more >>

Azed 2351

There seems to be a higher-than-usual proportion of unfamiliar words in this puzzle, but despite that I managed to finish it quite quickly without aids (though a couple of my plausible guesses turned … Read more >>

Everyman 3690/2 July

Another very good puzzle in the Everyman style – that is, at the easier end of the cryptic spectrum. It is all clued clearly, so I have given only brief explanations; but if … Read more >>