Independent 6,988/Virgilius
A typically nice themed puzzle from Virgilius, with the 6 outermost across and down answers linking to the 2 centre answers WATER and WATCH. I found most of this quite easy, but there … Read more >>
Month: March 2009
Guardian 24,642 – Rufus
Apologies for being a bit later than normal, I didn’t get a chance to look at today’s puzzle until around lunch. Lots of cryptic definitions today. (X) = inserted (x) = removed c.d. … Read more >>
Independent 6987 by Merlin
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def The combination of cryptic definitions and very long anagrams meant I found this quite hard going, although it was quite satisfying to get through. It seemed to … Read more >>
Azed 1918 – an enigma
An enjoyable puzzle with some interesting words but with two clues which have defeated me. Favourite clue is 11 across. Across 2 COMPTE RENDU MP in COTE, which is an old word for … Read more >>
Guardian 24,635 (Sat 28 Feb)/Enigmatist – Elbow grease
Solving time: 16:38 An enjoyable puzzle for Enigmatist’s first prize crossword of 2009. I had a good start but found it difficult to finish off. After solving I noticed the perimeter message (‘not … Read more >>
Guardian 24,640 – Brendan
This blog was accidentally published early – apologies if it looked a little incomplete! A really enjoyable puzzle, with a few very closely interwoven themes/clues that kept me going. ” = homophone < … Read more >>
Independent 6,985/Phi
Busy half-day for me today, so I’ll need to be brief. A tougher-than-usual Phi I thought, with impressive use of multiple grid entries for double-word clues intersecting in the grid. I fell down … Read more >>
Beelzebub 993 (01/03/09)
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. A very good puzzle, once again. This took a little longer than usual to complete – and even longer to explain my answers – but … Read more >>
Independent 6980/Bannsider (Prize puzzle 28-02-09)
Probably the toughest puzzle I’ve attempted in a while, which explains my dismal performance: two answers missing and a whole load more that I filled in but can’t explain. Great puzzle though, as always … Read more >>
FT 13,018/Viking
I seemed to solve this one in fits and starts; with groups of answers coming in short order, but punctuated by several lulls of a minute or two. A smattering of nifty &lit … Read more >>
Inquisitor 113 TOURIST TRAP by Phi
Another challenging and well-constructed puzzle from Phi. I found the bottom half of the puzzle easier to solve than the top, and indeed only had one word in the top half before solving the … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 851 – Man of Mystery by Loda
What a delightful way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon, letters latent for the across clues and extra words in the down ones, just my cup of tea. There … Read more >>
Independent 6984 by Nimrod
Tough puzzle from Nimrod with 6 15-letter entries. Solving time, 46 mins. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 8 NON-PROFESSIONAL Well-concealed with the misleading ‘Lay on line’. Definition is ‘lay’ (On line … Read more >>
Guardian 24639 / Brummie
Good stuff from Brummie today. (I can’t take much credit for this post, since Jenny solved most of the puzzle while I was working this morning.) Thanks to smutchin for pointing out the … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,017 / Falcon
A gentle mental workout today with nothing too difficult though the proverb at 14,18 is probably not one of the most well-known. 29a was nicely misleading and had me trying to think of … Read more >>