Posted by smiffy on 31st October 2008
With apologies for the tardy posting. Especially as I thought this was a really well-balanced and cohesive puzzle that merits plaudits or discussion. The surface readings in particular were what caught my eye. With just a quick glance at the page now, I can see 4A, 28A and 17D as examples of such. Here’s hoping Alberich becomes a more regular fixture in the FT firmament; he’s definitely more of a craftsman and more deserving than one or two of the incumbents.
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Posted in FT | 3 Comments »
Posted by neildubya on 31st October 2008
Apologies for the comparative lack of commentary – I’m a bit pushed for time today. Great puzzle, as always from Nestor. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by John on 31st October 2008
A typically nice crossword, but trickier than usual for Phi. Some long words were slow to come. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 5 Comments »
Posted by mhl on 31st October 2008
A remarkable grid with four 15 letter clues going down and lots of inventive and entertaining cluing… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Guardian | 21 Comments »
Posted by Colin Blackburn on 31st October 2008
My initial reading of the preamble left me confused. Were the two word unclued entries spread over two lights each or just one? The other two entries clued by extra words, were they two of the six unclued lights or was there some overlap? No worries, just move on to the solving and think about the directly unclued lights later. Even that wasn’t so simple. Three clues with no definition, four clues with an extra word and all down clues with extra letters resulting from the word play. Could any of the first seven clues be down clues? That seems harsh so I’ll assume they are across clues and are distinct.
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Posted in Enigmatic Variations | 3 Comments »
Posted by Hihoba on 31st October 2008
Blimey, what a corker!
Several new words (including two of the dreaded Spenserian ones), a theme that was in code, answers to be both altered AND encoded. I almost gave up before starting!
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Posted in Inquisitor | 2 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 30th October 2008
We seem to be without a Guardian blog today so here is a breakdown of the wordplay. I’ll leave it to regular Guardian solvers to provide comments on the clues.
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Posted in Guardian | 19 Comments »
Posted by neildubya on 30th October 2008
Explanations and clarifications needed for 1a, 8, 12, 13, 19 and 26. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 13 Comments »
Posted by Octofem on 30th October 2008
Plenty to think about today. The answers came fairly quickly but not always the explanations. 30a misled
me for a few minutes – I trust I now have it right. Likewise 31a. No obvious theme but there is a fair amount of Eastern promise and a couple of animals.
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Posted in FT | 4 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 30th October 2008
I found this quite easy, solving time, 14 mins.
* = anagram < = reversed
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Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 30th October 2008
From Monday Prize Crossword on 20 Oct 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
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Posted in FT | No Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 30th October 2008
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of 18 October
Mudd’s puzzle was the most difficult I have done in a while. I cannot figure out how 11A works.
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Posted in FT | 3 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 29th October 2008
I cannot say I particularly enjoyed today’s puzzle, partly because there are two clues (1a and 3d) that I can’t fully explain. I will continue to work on these though I am not optimistic that I will get much further.
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Posted in FT | 14 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 29th October 2008
Excellent, accessible, puzzle by Dac, as ever. Solving time, 14 mins
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Posted in Independent | 10 Comments »
Posted by Ali on 29th October 2008
Hi all,
Apologies for the short notice, but I’m laid up with a bad cold and am unlikely to be fit for blogging today.
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Posted in Independent | 1 Comment »