Across
1. PAWNSHOP – PA*(SHOWN)P. I had to look up “uncle” in a dictionary to learn that it has a slang meaning of pawnbroker.
5. SPLEEN – *(SLEEP)N
10. EXTRA – EX + ART backwards
11. TIT FOR TAT
12. TURBOPROP = *(ROBOT + R + U)P. I take issue with the definition part of this clue, “part of an aircraft”; turboprop, as I understand the term, refers to a kind of aircraft or the type of engine an airplane has but not exactly a part of it.
13. GARBO – *(BRAG)O
14. BOO BOO
15. REMORSE – RE + MORSE. A real cruciverbalist’s clue!
16. SPLIT UP – double definition.
20. SINGLE – SING(L)E
22. OUSEL – LOUSE with the L moved to the end.
24. SMALL BEER
25. SPAGHETTI – SPA(GHETT[o])I[n]
27. LEGUME – LE(GUM)E[k]
28. CACHEPOT – CACHE(PO)T. I had to search my dictionary to find this word.

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A fair and satisfying crossword but I’m still missing an explanation (25) which always niggles! No theme as far as I can see. Read the rest of this entry »

Good fun, and reasonably easy although 15A and 4D held me up a bit for reasons explained below. I didn’t realise the FT had so many setters on their team; as well as those mentioned here (under their Guardian or Indie pseudonyms) we’ve also had Jason, Adamant, Highlander, Falcon and Gozo. I wonder how many more there are? Read the rest of this entry »

This turned out to be more of a challenge than I anticpated at first; plain sailing initially, but then got becalmed on the last few clues. At the time of solving, I wasn’t 100% certain about a couple of answers (1a, 22a, 21d), but subsequent searching seems to confirm them. Also, I still haven’t fathomed the wordplay element of 9a/20d, so please feel free  to offer enlightenment.

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A typical Paul effort with clues ranging from easy to difficult, and a collection of words some will know, and others won’t.

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An entertaining puzzle with a not-too-difficult-to-spot theme. Across the middle of the grid is the phrase POLES APART, which separates 6 across answers, all of which are poles of some description: NORTH/SOUTH, POSITIVE/NEGATIVE and MARIE CURIE and JOSEPH CONRAD (who are Poles, rather than poles). Read the rest of this entry »

Solving time: 19:10

This should have been a fast time, as I spotted half the theme straight away from 17ac (TIGON). Unfortunately I then displayed immense slowness in various places, especially 2dn and the theme word, CROSSWORD, leaving me very 12.

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A slightly harder than usual Rufus puzzle. I’m mystified by a couple of wordplays (8A and 12A) still. One weakfish cryptic def (1D) but a couple of hard clever clues as well.

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Fairly easy start to the week although I’d never heard of 18A before. Read the rest of this entry »

The blog for this puzzle will be appearing soon…

The grid is almost 90 degree symmetrical: would be if 3D and 15D were both 15 letter lights. And we encounter Orlando Di LASSO again. I searched high and low for a Scots, Bond or Connery reference… but to no avail.

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One of the last names you expect to see above a puzzle on a Saturday is Mr Tuesday himself, Virgilius. Not that I’m complaining. This was definitely easier than usual for a Saturday but no less enjoyable for that. And there is, of course, a theme which I’ve referred to in my notes (but see 20D for the full explanation). Read the rest of this entry »

Good fare from Phi with some excellent clues but with a couple of gaps in the word play and one clue not solved until I check in TEA just before submitting this! Read the rest of this entry »

Adamant seems to be a faithful adherent of the FT’s general style and tone, and this was solid enough fare . A couple of answers (2d, 28a) were new (for me at least) variants of familiar words, but neither really cause a major hold-up.  My only gripe would be that the two “cryptic surface” clues (12a, 5d) were pretty transparent.   

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This was a real fun puzzle, I thought.

Solving time: 3 hrs 45 mins

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