Posted by Simon Harris on 22nd July 2010
A fairly challenging but ultimately manageable themed puzzle from Eimi this week, published the day before the quatercentenary of the death of 1ac. I must admit I solved the whole thing without spotting the theme at all, knowing very little about the artist in question. Thus, I’ve had to do a fair bit of swotting up in order to blog this, and I’m sure that if I’ve missed any references or introduced any inaccuracies, readers will be quick to jump in and help me out.
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Posted in Independent | 12 Comments »
Posted by Simon Harris on 22nd July 2010
A surprise Thursday appearance from Phi, and I suspect that’s a straight swap, with tomorrow being something of a special occasion for Nimrod. Either way, this one was good fun and not too taxing; in fact, it became a bit of procession of answers once the long one slotted in. I’m wondering whether three related entries constitute a theme, or indeed whether I’ve missed some thematic material, as I’m barely familiar with the work of 28ac.
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Posted in Independent | 13 Comments »
Posted by Handel on 22nd July 2010
Good morning all. A departure from the usual IoS fare this week, with a themed offering. The fact that we’d not encountered a themed IoS before meant that we were rather slow off the mark, and it was only once all the kings were in place that the significance of the number of the puzzle (1066) finally dawned, allowing 1ac to be filled. We found this a tougher, but altogether more satisfying, puzzle than usual, and will be interested to know whether other solvers also enjoyed the added penny-drop of the theme. We’d certainly like to see more puzzles like this in future.
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Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »
Posted by smiffy on 22nd July 2010
Quite probably the most anodyne set of grid-entry words I’ve ever encountered (21A is the only answer that could even remotely be considered specialist or unfamiliar). But that by no means necessitates a similarly low-falutin set of clues. Simple words can still be clued with well-disguised definitions (10A, 8D) or via entertaining surfaces (22A, 20D).
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Posted in FT | 6 Comments »
Posted by Eileen on 22nd July 2010
My first blog for four weeks and so, first of all, many thanks to mhl and Gaufrid for standing in for me while I was, firstly, marking exam scripts and then away on holiday.
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Posted in Guardian | 47 Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 22nd July 2010
Monday Prize Crossword on 12 July 2010
Falcon is another gentle compiler who will give solvers a pleasant start to the week. Nothing very complicated; but enjoyable, nevertheless.
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Posted in FT | No Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 22nd July 2010
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 10
Another strong puzzle from Mudd. My favourite clue here is 8D (TOOTHPICK).
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Posted in FT | 3 Comments »