Guardian 24191/Gordius
I enjoyed this puzzle very much, with a good mix of clues, and a couple of answers that used words that were new to me. I thought that I had posted this at … Read more >>
Month: September 2007
Independent 6534 by Virgilius
Another wonderful themed puzzle from Virgilius. All the across answers from French and quite a few references in the down clues too. As it happens, this blogger is very familiar with French so … Read more >>
Independent 6533/Phi – But it’s not Friday…
Now I know how one of regular commenters felt when we had a puzzle themed around Elvis. According to his Wikipedia entry, Terry 13A was the best-selling UK author in the 1990s and … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 348 Thatcher’s busy week
It’s been a busy time for Maggie lately, dropping in on her old abode to see what colour Gordon’s painted the walls, meeting Rudolph Giuliani, and of course appearing in the Eye Crossword … Read more >>
Azed 1842 – tut tut (again!)
Solving time – about 45 mins, with Chambers and Bradfords After the two uncharacteristic faux pas the previous week, I was surprised to see yet another error creep into this one (see 6 … Read more >>
Guardian 24,183 (Sat 15 Sep)/Paul – Vewy quiet
Solving time: 13:42 It felt as though I made fairly heavy weather of this; the long answers took longer than they should have, especially 11dn, and answers like MARSH GAS for ‘methane’ should … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,569 by Bradman
I believe this is the first Bradman puzzle I have attempted. It took me a while — longer than I would generally want to spend on a daily puzzle — perhaps because I … Read more >>
Beelzebub 917/Phi (09-09-07)
I thought this was pretty tricky but I struggled with all but one of the long answers that form the perimeter of the grid, so that will have prevented me from really getting … Read more >>
Guardian 24,188, Brummie: Straight as Kate
A decent Friday puzzle with some tough nuts to crack. One name I’d never come across before, and required Google’s help, some humorous touches, and a little linked mini-theme including two phrases, one … Read more >>
Independent 6531 by Phi
Solving time: 29 mins I spotted a theme, I think, mentioned under the relevant clues. < = reversed * = anagram ACROSS 1 DUN MOW FLIT CH This is the theme, … Read more >>
Independent 6526/Nimrod
Quite a few long answers in this which made it a fairly quick solve. Naturally, there are a couple of answers which I don’t really understand: 13 and 15A. Oh, and 16D. Across … Read more >>
Inquisitor 37 – Late hit boxer by Schadenfreude
Solving time: ages – at least 6 hours This puzzle had 44 clues in total, 17 with misprints, and 16 to be treated somehow. That leaves 11 normal clues with no treatment. I’m … Read more >>
Independent 6530/Nimrod
A mixed bag for me today. A couple of non-dictionary phrases for a start, an answer I simply can’t get and some word play that I just don’t follow. There were some clever … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 918 by Quixote
I found this puzzle on the easy side. Solving time: 14 mins Will concentrate on a small number of what seemed to me the trickier clues, but happy to explain others if asked. … Read more >>
Guardian 24,187/Paul – Poetic Licence?
A typical fun crossword from Paul – an enjoyable challenge as he doesn’t allow the rules to get in the way of a good clue. Time taken – 14mins, approximately ACROSS 1 see 19dn … Read more >>