Posted by shuchi on 25th June 2010
A very enjoyable puzzle liberally sprinkled with anagrams and cryptic definitions. The clue surfaces are uniformly well-crafted. Specially liked the neat anagram at 8D and the wordplay with ‘bill’ in 23A.
Posted in FT | 5 Comments »
Posted by mhl on 25th June 2010
A great puzzle from Enigmatist – as always, some of the wordplay is difficult to parse, but with the help of my partner I think I’ve got them all. One of the aspects of this puzzle that I think we don’t applaud often enough (although it’s a strong feature of the Guardian crossword) is the breadth (if not depth :)) of cultural references. Anyway, great fun, I thought.
Posted in Guardian | 25 Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on 24th June 2010
I had just been thinking we must be due for a Saturday Anax, and here we are. I wonder if being able to predict setters several weeks running is an early sign of having spent rather too much time on crosswords.
Posted in Independent | 19 Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on 24th June 2010
This seemed like a bit of a classic. Unfortunately work issues and inopportunely-timed fire drills meant I couldn’t really give it the attention it deserved, and had to cheat relentlessly. There’s some great stuff in there for sure though.
Posted in Independent | 15 Comments »
Posted by Eileen on 24th June 2010
What a treat! – my favourite compiler and a number of theatrical / literary allusions. I realise that, on both counts, this will not be everyone’s cup of tea but it was right up my street – after the Maths yesterday! Not the easiest Araucaria but fairly typical, I think.
Posted in Guardian | 49 Comments »
Posted by smiffy on 24th June 2010
The usual quotient of merry mischief, to keep us on our toes. Plenty of contenders for ‘clue of the day’ status. I have 15A and 27A still playing out an unresolved Isner vs Mahut-style duel for that honour. Others, no doubt, will have their own faves.
Posted in FT | 7 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 24th June 2010
Back on the IoS beat for 1 week as Handel’s gone to France. I found this an extremely easy puzzle, solving time 11 mins.
Posted in Independent | 1 Comment »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 24th June 2010
Monday Prize Crossword on 14 June 2010
Mr Smoothie is here again to tease us with his unique brand of slick surfaces.
Posted in FT | 2 Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 24th June 2010
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 12
My first impression of this puzzle was that it was too easy. I tore through the clues, the only ones stumping me for more than a few seconds being 26A (TIP-AND-RUN), 29A (OPEN-AND-SHUT) and 21D (EARTHY). It is hard to complain though when there are clues as elegant as 15A (NOON), 20A (SORCERY), 1D (SOLITUDE), 5D (VILLAIN), 6D (RESERVOIR), 14D (CRESCENDO) and 19D (ENDORSE).
Posted in FT | No Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on 23rd June 2010
After the first four across entries fell straight in, I thought this might be an easy one. Not so, but I got there. In two clues the wordplay escapes me, however, and I’ve reproduced the clues for those in case passers-by fancy a look.
Posted in Beelzebub | 2 Comments »
Posted by Ali on 23rd June 2010
Dac’s puzzles are always a pleasure, never a chore. That said, this definitely seemed tougher than usual and I eventually had to admit defeat with a few answers.
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Posted by petebiddlecombe on 23rd June 2010
Posted in Inquisitor | 10 Comments »
Posted by Gaufrid on 23rd June 2010
To be met by one of Cinephile’s long anagrams as the first across clue did not bode well so I started with the downs instead which made life somewhat easier, though the puzzle still turned out to be towards the harder end of the FT spectrum, but no less entertaining because of this.
Posted in FT | 8 Comments »
Posted by Andrew on 23rd June 2010
Another clever themed puzzle from Brendan, this time based on (mostly elementary) mathematics. Amazingly, just about every clue and answer has mathematical connections – a brilliant feat. Maybe my mathematical background helps, but I found it not too hard, though it took me a while to understand 25ac.
Posted in Guardian | 53 Comments »
Posted by John on 22nd June 2010
A very nice offering from Radian. I’m a bit unsure about one or two of the clues, either because I simply don’t understand them or because I have my own doubts about them. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Independent | 24 Comments »
