This would be a good puzzle for a lazy Sunday breakfast or lunch. Sadly I no longer get to solve them on Sunday mornings any more as I forgot once too often, so now I have to solve and write them up earlier in the week, which may be efficient but misses the point somewhat. Thank you Peter.
Independent crossword 9608 by Serpent
As July comes to a close, a puzzle from Serpent to ease the misery of The British summer. I’m really starting to enjoy Serpent’s cluing – precise but with a little doubt thrown … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1287: Go For It! by Kruger
Well, on the scale of ‘Fifty Shades of EV’, this was a masochistic 40-plus for your correspondent…Kruger exhorted us to ‘GO FOR IT!’, but I staggered across the line like a marathon runner … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 27,256 by Paul
I wasn’t getting anywhere with this, so I put it aside and opened the rather nice bottle of red wine given to us by a French couple in whose house we were staying last week. An hour later I was absolutely whizzing through the puzzle. I believe this is known in the trade as “getting on your setter’s wavelength”. Thanks Paul, for the puzzle and for the excuse.
Independent 9607 / Phi
Phi has given us a puzzle today with lots of the types of clue I enjoy solving. There are a lot of clues where the wordplay has many parts. That … Read more >>
Financial Times 15,613 by BRADMAN
An easy offering from BRADMAN today, thanks to whom for a brisk workout.
Guardian Cryptic 27,261 by Picaroon
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27261.
Independent 9,606 by Hob
That was hard work. Quite apart from the fact that many of the clues referred to a not particularly easy answer and so there was an extra slowness at the start, it was difficult. Or so I thought at the time.
But it was good.
Definitions underlined and in maroon.
Guardian 27,260 / Paul
First of all, my thanks to Gaufrid for standing in for me last week, especially on what turned out to be not a good day for him. I think this must be one … Read more >>
Financial Times 15,612 by SLEUTH
Sleuth provides the FT challenge this Thursday morning.
Financial Times 15,603 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword / Jul 17, 2017
Quite an ordinary Dante, in my opinion, with an overdose of cryptic definitions.
Financial Times 15,602 by Goliath
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 15, 2017
Financial Times 15,611 by REDSHANK
I find Redshank’s puzzles have an elegance to them. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is but there is a “just right” feel to them; neither too hard nor easy, neither too clever nor too hackneyed. Whatever it is and however you do it: thank you Redshank.
Independent 9605 / Dac
Dac’s back in his Wednesday slot again this week. We found this a little trickier than your average Dac, but it eventually all fell into place, aided by the expected excellent … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 27,259 by Vlad
A pleasantly tough solve as usual from Vlad, with quite a few clues parsed after the fact. I especially liked 18ac, 20ac, 4dn, 14dn and 23dn.