Posted by neildubya on 19th December 2008
Nice puzzle with an amusing mini-theme. I couldn’t get 10 and I don’t understand all of the wordplay in 5. Not completely convinced about 14d either, although I can’t see what else the answer might be. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »
Posted by duncanshiell on 19th December 2008
I have certainly increased my knowledge of obscure Gods and Goddesses from different mythologies as a result of this puzzle, but am very grateful that I had a copy of the specific reference book identified by the extra letters. Further research showed that relying on Google and Wikipedia alone would not always have thrown up the relevant Gods and Goddesses very quickly.
Posted in Inquisitor | 2 Comments »
Posted by mhl on 18th December 2008
Apologies for any errors here – I’m rather beset by work and illness at the moment. My partner did about half of these, so thanks to her for the help…
Posted in Guardian | 45 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 18th December 2008
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by Octofem on 18th December 2008
A speedy crossword this morning with very little to challenge the solver. My only concern is the three letter word at 25d.
I may not have the appropriate explanation, and am open, as always, to correction.
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on 18th December 2008
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone
Fairly typical Nimrod, I think. Unconventional in places, with a few tenuous ones and a couple that I’ll need you to explain to me. There’s a theme in the across answers, as pointed out by 4/19, which leads to the whole thing feeling a little forced.
Posted in Independent | 20 Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 18th December 2008
Monday FT Prize Crossword on 8 December 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
Posted in FT | No Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 18th December 2008
FT Weekend Prize Puzzle from December 6
I am in a rush this week so here is my analysis with minimal comments.
Posted in FT | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ali on 17th December 2008
Nothing too difficult here, but absolutely nothing to complain about either. Lovely clues as ever from Dac, and a nice way to pass the time on the 73 bus between Angel and Euston (in moderate traffic!)
Posted in Independent | 5 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 17th December 2008
I used to approach Monk’s offerings with a degree of apprehension but fortunately I have now become used to his style. Some fine clues today (I particularly liked 14a and 17a, amongst others), though initially I did have a concern regarding the definition in 22a but this has now been resolved.
.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by Andrew on 17th December 2008
A bit of a mixed bag today, with some very simple anagrams a a few nice clues, but also some rather weak ones, and a couple of obscure (to me) references. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Guardian | 13 Comments »
Posted by bridgesong on 17th December 2008
Apologies for the late publication of this blog. I’m a last minute substitute and pressure of work prevented me from filing it yesterday as I had intended. The puzzle itself was an elegant tribute to a man whose name has become famous for reasons which have little to do with his skill in setting crossword clues, although I believe that it was his Azed connections which inspired Colin Dexter to name his eponymous detective after him. The fact that the clues were all prizewinners made this an easier crossword than usual to solve, as I found that I remembered quite a few of them. Of course it’s a competition crossword, so the winners will be determined by those whose attempts at finding a cryptic clue to Morse are deemed to be most successful. Should be interesting. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Azed | 5 Comments »
Posted by John on 16th December 2008
Much of this I liked, but there were one or two clues that I wasn’t sure about, for one reason or another. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 19 Comments »
Posted by C G Rishikesh on 16th December 2008
I was away in Bangalore for a couple of days but luckily returned home this morning in time for my scheduled blog.
A puzzle that doesn’t come under the ‘easy’ category.
Posted in FT | 7 Comments »
Posted by diagacht on 16th December 2008
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 9,8 | OSCAR PETERSON: anagram of SOON around CARPETERS (layers) |
| 10 | JAZZ: JA + ZZ (sound of snoring) |
| 11 | COUNT BASIE: COUNT (consider) + I in BASE (essence) |
| 12,17 | BILLIE HOLIDAY: LIB (reversed) + LIE (politician’s promise) + HOLIDAY (recess); Paul is taking a tough line on politicians this morning! |
| 14 | INTEGRAL: anagram of ALTERING |
| 15,21 | CHARLIE PARKER: CHARLIE (wally) + PARKER (kind of coat) |
| 20 | OPEN FIRE: double definition |
| 22 | WIGWAM: WIG (rug) + WA (Washington) + M (man) |
| 23 | ARTIFICIAL: IF in ARTIC (lorry) + I (one) + A (heading for auction, first letter) + L (left, behind indicating at the end) |
| 24,22 | FATS WALLER: S WALL (small screen) in anagram (broadcast) of AFTER |
| 25 | EXIST: EX (old) + IS (one’s) + T (time) |
| 26 | RIESLING: R (right) + IE (that is) + SLING (to chuck) |
| Down | |
| 1 | MEGALITH: (H (hard) + TIL (up to) + A GEM (a stone)) all reversed |
| 2 | BENZ: BEN(d) (short curve) + Z (angled chicane) |
| 3 | PSYCHE: hidden in tiPSY CHEeky |
| 4 | INSULIN: INSUL(t) (slight cut) + IN (hip, as in trendy) |
| 5 | FORTY-TWO: FORT (strong position) + W (wife) in anagram of TOY; this is Douglas Adams’ answer to everything in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy |
| 6 | OCEAN-GOING: anagram of CArGO NONE I (without ‘r’, runs out of) + G (good) |
| 7 | TROIKA: OIK (unpleasant person) in ART reversed (craft) |
| 13 | LARYNGITIS: anagram of STYLING AIR |
| 16 | INITIATE: IN IT I ATE |
| 18 | AWAITING: A WING (a fly) around AIT (an island on the Thames) |
| 19 | DEVILRY: double definition (devilry as in black magic and also as in an expression of impatience) |
| 24 | FELT: double definition |
Posted in Guardian | 48 Comments »
