*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed

I found this extremely difficult. Hypnos seems to have an ability always to come up with the synonym or phrase that I would never think of and this was no exception. Examples that defeated me here are haze for bully, one for drink and tart for baggage. I was also thrown by the missing apostrophes in Palme D’Or and O’Neill. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that many crossword devotees have bought Jonathan Crowther’s book, Collins have decided to remainder it. It is now available for the knock-down price of £5.99 from the online, high quality, remainder bookshop Postscript. I’d recommend this book for anyone with a serious interest in tougher cryptic crosswords, especially the thematic puzzles. The book contains biographies of many prominent setters, some puzzles, from those setters, and an introduction by the author where he spells out his ideas on fairness in cryptic clues.

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I found this harder than the average Rufus, with the SE corner (especially the 24s) causing some delays.

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