Guardian 24,809 (Sat 19 Sep)/Paul – Snide remark
Solving time: 7 mins This was my fastest solve of a Saturday puzzle for a while, so must have been easier than usual, even for a non-Araucaria week. Only 20dn (REMARK) caused any … Read more >>
Month: September 2009
Independent 7159/Phi
This seemed unusually difficult for Phi and one clue completely defeated me. There are a few I’m not sure about, which will I’m sure be rapidly explained here. Across 1 M(US(1)CO LOG)Y 6 … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,191 / Flimsy
A nice mix of easy and tough clues in this entertaining puzzle. One or two parsings need help. Across 1 CONSTRUCTS CON (prisoner) STRUT (swagger) around C[ell] + S (suit) 7 PEST (TAPES)* … Read more >>
Guardian 24,814 / Enigmatist
I found this quite tough going, both solving and parsing, and was pleased to have finished without recourse to the ‘cheat’ button – but irritated to have been completely beaten by the explanation … Read more >>
Inquisitor 142 – Run Out by Loda
This wasn’t a particularly entertaining puzzle for a non-cricketing, non-English person. Though I have to admit that I, unwittingly, asked an Australian friend for assistance with the dénouement. Or should I say ex-friend? … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,190/Cinephile
This was probably my most rapid completion of a Cinephile puzzle in donkey’s years. Unfortunately, I ended up guessing incorrectly at 4D so I can’t claim a correct solution! Plenty of double definition … Read more >>
Independent 7,158/Nestor
A nice, tough puzzle from Nestor with some lovely clues. I have to admit I struggled with the NW and SW corners though and there are a few I don’t understand even after … Read more >>
Guardian 24813 / Brummie
We enjoyed this and just missed out 8 down, so it’s probably a good difficulty level for a daily puzzle. I particularly liked the surface readings of 9a, 10a, 3d and 12a. Update: … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1023 by Quixote (20 Sep 2009)
Solving time, 22 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 6 PENNY-PINCHING D0uble definition 8 GENERA LIST 9 RHEA Hidden 10 BI (ST)RO 11 ELECT RUM 12 RUN (‘extra’ from cricket) 13 … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,181 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword on 14 September 2009 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,180 by Mudd
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 12 For the first time in a while I am faced with two clues that I cannot fully solve, 12A and 20D. I figure I … Read more >>
Independent 7,157 by Dac
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. A few unfamiliar terms for me here, though these were of course offset by the clueing which led the solver unambiguously toward the solutions. Across … Read more >>
Guardian 24,812 – Araucaria
An interesting Araucaria today, the clues not being particularly fiendish in their construction but requiring a fairly wide vocabulary (or perhaps today just happened to hit the weak spots in my knowledge). Across … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,189 / Gozo
Nothing particularly difficult in today’s themed offering from Gozo. A few of the birds may not be familiar to some but they were easy enough to get from the wordplay. I think there … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,188 / Jason
This enjoyable puzzle was a mix of straighforward clues and some tricky ones. It took me a while to unravel the wordplay for some of them, learning a few new words in the … Read more >>