When Neil asked for someone to blog this one, I had just printed it out, so I readily volunteered, having to date completed all the Geniuses I have attempted, most of them without much (or any) difficulty, and even having won the £100 lottery on one occasion. So much for my hubris — this has to be the most difficult Genius yet! Serves me right for writing to the Guardian’s crossword editor that Genius preambles are usually more helpful than Listener ones; this preamble just about had me defeated. I was forced in the end to resort to collusion (and please note that I did not submit the eventual solution). Thanks to our colleague Michod for his help on the final step.

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the new home of Fifteensquared. The difference between this and the old site is that I now own the domain name fifteensquared.net and I’m using it to host the blog, rather than having WordPress host it. This means I have more control over how the blog looks and behaves but for the time being, nothing much will change. Don’t forget to update your bookmarks and your links if you run a site that links back to us.

Read the rest of this entry »

I think Partick Thistle is the only Scots reference in this puzzle. Of course, my Caledonian theory might be completely incidental but it gives me a goal each week. Overall, pretty easy cluing and familiar vocabulary but, as always, sensible and meaningful surfaces.

Read the rest of this entry »