A very interesting puzzle indeed. The theme is Ambrose Bierce’s ‘Devil’s Dictionary’, from which 8 clues/answers are word-for-word definitions/entries. It’s perhaps a bit much to expect people to be able to get these without a copy of the dictionary or online help, but many of them are similar to the jokey, cryptic definitions you see in crosswords anyway, so they’re guessable if all checking letters are in place. That said, I was struggling, so I cheated as soon as I worked out the theme and this helped quite a lot with opening up the grid for the the non-thematic answers. Some people might argue that this kind of thing should be restricted to thematic puzzles (or Araucaria!), but I’ve no problem with it whatsoever. I’d never even heard of Ambrose Bierce, so was glad of the education.

Read the rest of this entry »

dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram

Read the rest of this entry »

An enjoyable crossword with a couple of clues having intricate elements in wordplay. Since I began blogging here, this is the third Neo puzzle that I solved, the other two being 12719 and 12784.

Read the rest of this entry »