Guardian 24,605/Brummie
A tough puzzle from Brummie, with a theme that eluded me for some time. The first thematic answer I got was CLOSE, which made me think they were all cricketers. It was only … Read more >>
Month: January 2009
Financial Times 12,988 / Bradman
I found this generally up to Bradman’s usual high standard, with some good clues, but unfortunately there appears to be one significant error (4a). I am also not too happy with the wordplay … Read more >>
Independent 6,955/Phi
A very quick solve for me on this one, but equally a very enjoyable one. I’ve been trying my hand at writing a few puzzles of my own of late and there’s so … Read more >>
Guardian 24,610/Arachne
A fairly tricky puzzle from Arachne which I’ve been intermittently struggling with all morning in between trying to get some work done. Some nice clues, but I think 4dn is very poor, and … Read more >>
Independent 6950/Tees (Prize Puzzle 24-01-09)
A very enjoyable puzzle which I found pretty tough in places. I doubt I would have got 10 at all without Google and I’m still not sure about 4. Good fun though – … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 846 Three Fours by Jophu
Jophu is another new setter to me so I didn’t know what to expect with this one. The clues were normal and, as it turned out, fairly straightforward. There were some very easy … Read more >>
Inquisitor 108 SKYLIGHT by Phi
An excellent puzzle from Phi as usual. The title immediately suggested something either astronomical or related to atmospheric physics. I considered rainbows and halos but eventually, after getting some letters in 44, saw … Read more >>
Azed 1911 – filling the gap
There seems to have been a bit of confusion on the blog scheduling front, with Azed 1911 not having been covered. In the interests of completeness I’ve taken the liberty of producing this … Read more >>
Guardian 24,609 – Gordius
I’ve started to dread seeing Gordius’s name when it’s my turn to blog. As one of the harder Guardian setters I often find his puzzles impenetrable, unlike Araucaria who I tend to regard … Read more >>
Independent 6,954 by Nimrod
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Another Nimrod which I found to be heavy going. Perhaps if I were at liberty to spend a lazy afternoon lingering over Nimrod’s puzzles I … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 989 by Quixote (25 Jan 2009)
I found this fairly easy, with the two 15-letters entries solved straightaway. Solving time, 15 mins. * = anagram ACROSS 1 LES SON 4 MAR ROW 9 STABLEMATE Cryptic definition 10 CAM P … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,987 / Orense
A very pleasing puzzle, even when solving at 4am! A minor quibble with 17a but otherwise some enjoyable clues. Unusually for me the first run through generated no definite grid entries but the … Read more >>
FT 12,978 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword on 19 January 2009 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,977 by Cinephile
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 10th I had some trouble finishing this puzzle, stumped for a while by 18A and 6D. Having solved it, I think 18A is rather brilliant. … Read more >>
Independent 6953 by Dac
A mixture of some very easy and some very difficult clues, I found. Solving time, 24 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 C (cold) OAT (I) S oats = porridge … Read more >>