Last time I blogged here I said Everyman was getting easier…
Independent on Sunday 1,323 by Monk
I’ll admit to something of a double take on seeing Monk’s name appear when opening this week’s puzzle via Crossword Solver. So much so that, it being a rare week where I’d not … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1321
Will the real Beelzebub please come back! This was far too easy and took no longer than a typical weekday cryptic. There were too many write-ins (for me), so much so that by … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 144 by Puck
The preamble states that: Each clue contains a one word surplus to requirements. The initial letters of these words, in clue order spell out a group, followed by the title of one of … Read more >>
Azed 2247
A plain Azed this week with plenty of evidence of Azed lovingly lifting the most obscure definitions out of Chambers dictionary There is one clue that I can’t parse – … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 26,609 by Puck
Super puzzle from Puck. I found this to be one of those puzzles in which the clues are hard until one solves them, when suddenly they seem to be quite easy. Thanks Puck.
Independent 8955 Sat 27-June-2015 Tyrus
Something very fishy about this crossword. Very fishy indeed. I think we should call in the Feds to find out what’s going on because it looks like someone has ended up sleeping with the … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1179 – Revolution by Oxymoron
In REVOLUTION, some answers have blank cells that are to be filled… but with what?
Guardian Cryptic 26,614/Nutmeg
Here’s a brief blog (what do you mean, thank goodness for that) of today’s Nutmeg. Good puzzle, but more Quiptic-like than Cryptic-like. But listen, it’s a good puzzle: just enjoy it. … Read more >>
Independent 8960 / Phi
It’s Friday and it’s Phi with a typical puzzle This was a puzzle that cried out theme as the first and last columns developed. I thought it unlikely to be … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,973 by ARTEXLEN
My first time blogging this setter. A solid challenge from Artexlen – one that was eventually solved after some intriguing trysts with word play. I would have liked to see some of the long-winded clues be more crisp. Speaking of which 4d was incredibly so – a 17 letter clue for a 14 letter solution! 🙂 Thanks Artexlen – it wasnt easy going but totally worth it !!
Independent 8,959 by Morph
A nice, crossword from Morph today. I found it slightly on the hard side, though now that I’ve done the blog I can’t see why. The (possibly) CDs round the middle of the acrosses were a bit of a problem, but everything else seemed to fall into place well enough.
Some would make a very mild criticism of the answers in the grid: 18dn ends with the word OFF, as does 25ac. Possibly not the best: I did 18dn and then couldn’t believe that 25ac also ended with the same word, but there aren’t many possibilities for _ _ F.
Definitions in italics.
Guardian 26,613 – Bonxie
We haven’t seen a lot of Bonxie lately – his last apeparance was in April, after a gap of a year and a half, so it’s perhaps difficult to get a feel for … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,972 by GAFF
A laudable theme. Thanks to the setter.
Financial Times 14,963 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword / Jun 22, 2015
After a couple of harder Dante puzzles, I found this one mostly easy until, yes, until ….