An enjoyable puzzle. All the solutions are gettable but I thought some of the parsing was quite tricky. Thank you Aardvark.
Independent 9,119 / Dac
It may well be a new year, but some things just don’t change, such as a Dac puzzle appearing in the Independent on a Wednesday. I found this a tad tougher than the … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1347
For me, one aspect of a good clue is when I struggle to solve it and then wonder why afterwards because it seems so obvious and there was no shortage of such occurrences … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1418: It’s a Wrap by Plench
This blog of the Boxing Day puzzle will come out after New Year, but here’s wishing you all a Great New Year of Inquisitorial fun. If it is anything like the year just past … Read more >>
Sloggers & Betters – Macclesfield – Friday 18th / Saturday 19th March 2016
A message from Dean Mayer (Anax/Loroso/Elkamere):
Why this didn’t occur to me before I have no idea, but Macclesfield has a perfect S&B venue in the Snow Goose. It’s a cosy alpine themed café bar on 3 levels. On Friday evening there will be musical entertainment in the form of LeLounge, a chilled out duo featuring Looby & Dave, friends from the covers band I used to be in.
Financial Times 15129 by PABUS
Happy New Year everyone!
First day back at work today, so had to tackle the 100+ e-mails awaiting my return before I could turn my attention to the crossword.
Independent 9118 / Crosophile
The first Independent Crosophile of 2016 is published today. This was a good example of a broadsheet cryptic crossword puzzle. There were no obscure words in the grid (except perhaps … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 26772 by Brummie
Took a while to get started, sped up in the middle, and hesitantly entered in the last few. Favourites were 21ac and 16dn.
Independent 9,110 by Hieroglyph (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 26/12/15)
The closing date for this puzzle was also postponed from the usual following Saturday until today, for obvious reasons. I was surprised not to spot anything thematic this week, despite the puzzle being … Read more >>
Sloggers and Betters in Belfast — postponed?
Unfortunately, and due to the usual ‘circumstances beyond our control’, our visit to Belfast has been postponed. So neither Dave Tilley nor I will be there this weekend. We don’t yet have a … Read more >>
Guardian 26,771 – Rufus
If Rufus has made any New Year’s resolutions, then “use fewer cryptic definitions” clearly isn’t one of them. Seven here (and four doubles), several of which I find pretty weak. Still, I know … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 842/Pan
A sound Quiptic from Pan. Perhaps a bit tricky in places, but I’ll put that down to having been roughed up by Radian in the Independent earlier on this morning. … Read more >>
Independent 9117/Radian
Firstly, best wishes for 2016 from me to everyone in the Fifteensquared community. Secondly, Chuffing Nora. If the concept of the Monday Indy puzzle being ‘the easy one’ started disappearing last year, … Read more >>
Private Eye (Cyclops/563) Xmas Special – Where are they now?
It’s Christmas and like the strange man at the back of the night bus Cyclops shows us a worryingly large monster. As expected, there is a theme and this is spelt out in the preamble: … Read more >>
Independent 9105 Anax (Sat 19-Dec 2015)
Another solid puzzle from Anax. This was not as hard as some I have seen from him which is just as well given how busy we all are at the moment. Only 6 answered … Read more >>