Independent on Sunday 902 by Quixote
Posted by nmsindy on 31st May 2007
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Archive for May, 2007
Independent 6434 by Phi – Absolutely Not!
Posted by nmsindy on 31st May 2007
The usual top quality puzzle from Phi, with all clear in the end. Held up a little by two musical clues (9 ac, 4 dn) crossing, but got there in the end. In line with recent Indy trends, there is a theme. I refer to it after the clue explanations.
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Guardian 24091/Paul – one’s or your?
Posted by ilancaron on 31st May 2007
Solving time: 35’
Lots of wondrous wordplay to admire here – and some to wonder about. Sometimes numbers in clues really are numbers – and not other clues. The editing isn’t The Guardian’s best to say the least. I won’t bother pointing out the mistakes.
Posted in Guardian | 7 Comments »
Independent 6433/Dac
Posted by neildubya on 30th May 2007
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | R,(A DIPS)* |
| 4 | I,MIT(t) in SCAR – excellent &lit clue. |
| 9 | (A SLAVONIC VIRTUE)* |
| 11 | SHELLAC – tricky one this, and a guess for me. SHELLAC is a US word meaning “to defeat convincingly” and it’s also the stuff used to make gramaphone records. |
| 12 | (b)OLDNESS |
| 13 | TEMP in CO,NT – NT for “books” (New Testament) is a well-established crossword convention. |
| 22 | E in (HAS UK)*,P |
| 24 | I’S,ADORA – “adorer”. A reference to the dancer. |
| 27 | S,TREE,P – the “old actor” is this chap. Don’t think I’ve ever seen P for “poise” before but it’s in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (where “poise” is a unit of viscosity – something else I didn’t know). |
| Down | |
| 1 | REV,IS,E |
| 2 | PICKED OUT – not really sure what “albeit tentatively” is doing here…? |
| 6 | ME,(w)ANDER |
| 7 | C in TRUE |
| 8 | (SPOTTERS)* – excellent clue, very deceptive. It was too early in the morning for me to notice straightaway that it was “train spotters” (i.e. “train” as an anagrind) rather than “trainspotters”. |
| 15 | (NOBLE EMU R)* |
| 16 | ROSS,ETTI – “Etty”, a reference to this person. I guess ROSS could be Jonathan Ross? |
| 18 | EYEBOLT – “I bolt” |
| 20 | BRA,VEST |
Posted in Independent | 2 Comments »
Guardian 24090, Brendan: botanical females
Posted by jetdoc on 30th May 2007
A particularly appropriate one for an inaugural blog by a female gardener, being themed around women and plant names. Quite a mix of clues — mostly pretty easy, but one or two more challenging ones, and two I don’t quite understand. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Guardian | 4 Comments »
Independent 6432/Virgilius
Posted by Colin Blackburn on 29th May 2007
A very quick puzzle, for me, helped by the letter patterns of the long across answers and some obvious anagrams. Some very good cluing, as usual, but no noticeable theme.
Posted in Independent | 2 Comments »
Guardian 24,089, Araucaria: Hoary Potter
Posted by michod on 29th May 2007
As we approach the long-awaited publication of the latest instalment of the boy wizard’s adventures, it may be time for a moratorium on Potter-themed crosswords. I’d done quite a few clues before I turned to 5,25, but the minute I saw the number of letters and the word ‘boy’ in the clue, the theme leapt out. Not one of Araucaria’s best, lacking a bit of the the usual spark. Explanations welcomed for 3 and 7 down.
Posted in Guardian | 3 Comments »
Guardian 24088/Rufus
Posted by linxit on 28th May 2007
Solving time 11:05
Well, surprise surprise! A Rufus puzzle with only a couple of (good) cryptic definitions, and overall a great set of clues with excellent surface readings throughout. Rufus has complained in the past that we give him a “weekly bashing”, but I thoroughly enjoyed solving this and don’t have anything to grumble about (well OK, 18dn should be hyphenated).
Posted in Guardian | 5 Comments »
Independent 6431 Tees / A Mixed Bag
Posted by tilsit on 28th May 2007
soLVING TIME: 1 hr 5 mins (with a couple of hints).
Whether it is the sandblasting doses of antibiotics I am mainlining or that I am being especially thick today, but I found this a bit of a struggle. Some good solid cluing, although if I see 23 across again,
I shall probably do something I’ll regret. Liked 17 /7 (appropriate for today) and as usual a nice scattering of cultural references. Didn’t enjoy it as much as Tees’ last puzzle for some reason; had a feeling of déjá vu with a couple of clues.
ACROSS (* = anagram, (R) = Reversed CD= Cryptic definition)
Posted in Independent | 15 Comments »
Everyman 3164/am I over the hill?
Posted by ilancaron on 27th May 2007
Solving time: 30’
Good solid wordplay – no quibbles and a reminder that I really must pay more attention to Sean Connery’s films if I’m to continue my relationship with Everyman.
Posted in Everyman | 1 Comment »
Independent 6424/Monk
Posted by neildubya on 26th May 2007
Superb but very tough puzzle from Monk. The bottom right-hand corner caused me all sorts of problems (especially 22A, 20D and 23D) and the top-left was any easier. I’m still not sure about the wordplay for 1A though and I can’t see any obvious theme. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 8 Comments »
Guardian 24,081 (Sat 19 May)/Araucaria – Know-how
Posted by rightback on 26th May 2007
Solving time: 20 mins, Chambers for 18ac and 19dn.
Three monster clues (six or seven words each) in this puzzle, two of them linked, but easier than usual to get without lots of checking letters. Clarification on 13dn would be welcome.
Posted in Guardian | 4 Comments »
Independent 6429 by Phi – hearing and speaking
Posted by nmsindy on 25th May 2007
Posted in Independent | 4 Comments »
Inquisitor #20/Circumstances by MynoT
Posted by loonapick on 25th May 2007
For reasons I still don’t quite know, this puzzle took me ages to solve. When I look back on it now, it appears to be fairly straightforward as far as themed puzzles go. Admittedly, there are still a few clues where I am not sure about the wordplay, but the “extra letters” device made it obvious in most cases which letter was missing, and, once you had worked out the additional instruction, the rest of the puzzle was fine.
Posted in Inquisitor | 1 Comment »
Guardian 24,086, Logodaedalus: Well-tempered Upsetters
Posted by michod on 25th May 2007
Pretty simple fare for a Friday, took me just over 10 mins, with a high proportion of clues solving more or less at first look. Wordplay mostly straightforward, apart from 1ac (see below) and 20 down, which I can’t quite explain.
Posted in Guardian | 4 Comments »