Tougher than the average Tuesday with some challenging multiple wordplays and a theme thrown in for fun.
Guardian Cryptic 27,090 by Philistine
The puzzle may e found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27090. It comes with:
Special instructions: An anniversary tribute
Guardian Quiptic 895 Anto
To be fair, there were many standard Quiptic-like clues, but the cryptic-definition clues were, I thought, a bit over-, well, cryptic for a Quiptic. Notwithstanding all that, thanks to Anto. Definitions are underlined … Read more >>
Guardian 27,089 / Chifonie
It’s a different name on the Monday puzzle but Rufus-lovers will not be disappointed, I think: we have a familiar straightforward medley of charades, anagrams and double definitions to ease us into the … Read more >>
Independent 9,435 by Hypnos
It’s not Sunday is it? Been a while since Hypnos appeared during the week.
Private Eye/Cyclops 589 Xmas Pseudding
It’s Christmas! So it’s the giant 21×21 sized Eye crossword with some special feature. This puzzle has a preamble: Running clockwise around the shaded squares, starting top left, are two sentences from a 2016 … Read more >>
AZED 2,325
Only one printing error, and the correct rubric, for this month’s competition puzzle.
Everyman 3,664
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3664.
Independent on Sunday 1,402 by Hoskins
Good stuff from Hoskins once again. This was a solve of two halves for me, starting briskly and then requiring some headscratching for the last 10 or so to fall in. 27 across … Read more >>
Independent 9434 (Sat 7-Jan 2017) Serpent
The blogging cycle brings me Serpent again which is no bad thing. Serpent has brought some innovation to the puzzles done so far both in terms of themes and clueing, and the same … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 27,082 / Bonxie
‘Special instructions’ always cause me a bit of a flutter, especially if I’m blogging. Here, they were ‘Twelve solutions contain related objects, not further defined in their clues’. This seemed quite straightforward – … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1258 Alter Egos by Artix
Happy New year – this week’s offering from Artix has 3 columns to complete – based on an actor to be found to complete the initial grid then amendments to show the actor’s … Read more >>
Independent 9,433 by Phi
A very unusual grid in that there are only 22 answers, the fewest I’ve ever seen in a daily cryptic. I’m running a bit late today and wondered why I seem to have caught up: obvious why, with so little for me to do.
Enjoyable and utterly satisfactory as always. So many answers that initially gave difficulty proved to be very simple in hindsight.
Definitions underlined and in maroon.
Guardian 27,087 / Pasquale
A fairly typical offering from Pasquale today, perhaps a little less challenging than he can be but with the obligatory one or two less familiar words, meticulously clued. I don’t always find a … Read more >>
Financial Times 15,440 by ALBERICH
A challenging opener to Fridays of the New Year from Alberich, thanks to whom for providing a riveting session of mental gymnastics this morning. Did have a couple of words that I needed to clarify with google.