Guardian 24911 – Boatman
A most enjoyable puzzle very cleverly and creatively crafted after a fashion. I like the way Boatman managed to use the themed phrase in so many different ways and as various devices. Good … Read more >>
Month: January 2010
Independent 7256 by Math
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism An excellent offering from Math with some great clues. I particularly liked 12 across and the 4/13 combination was very amusing. The NINA, which … Read more >>
Guardian 24,910 / Rufus
There’s vintage Rufus here – some beautifully smooth surfaces and clever anagrams – with some easy charades thrown in for good measure. Across 1 SLAUGHTER: S[hake] + LAUGHTER 6 EMMA: the familiar crossword … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 408 – Oiks, obviously
I lost track of the weeks. I knew we would have an extra week over Xmas, but then by this Friday I realised I should’ve had a Private Eye by now. Assuming it … Read more >>
Azed 1963
I found this a pretty tough Azed, making little progress in my initial cocky “no Chambers for me” mode, and requiring two solving sessions rather than one. Overall time was over an hour, … Read more >>
Everyman 3302
I rather enjoyed this one. No particularly obscure words and a couple of nice cryptic definitions as part of more precise clues which raised smiles. Also generally the surfaces seemed to read better … Read more >>
Guardian 24,903 (Sat 9 Jan)/Paul – Kinky and quirky
Solving time: 10 mins This was vintage Paul: some amazing anagrams (8ac/7ac, 15ac/22dn, 22ac/23ac), a couple of long reverse charades (13dn, 24dn/3dn) and a classic at 16dn. Music of the Day (16dn): Set … Read more >>
Independent 7249 (Saturday 9 Jan) – Bannsider
I found this puzzle very difficult, and gave up unaided solving after 35 minutes with 6 and 18 remaining – I got 6 from a Chambers hunt, but needed a wildcard search for … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 896 – Three Letters by Loda
A fairly gentle, but enjoyable, start to the EV new year from Loda, though it is a good job that a full copy of ‘The Bridal of Triermain’ is available on-line because, not … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,284 / Viking
[Now that the crossword has been uploaded on the site, removing the placeholder and filling in the analysis.] A fine puzzle from Viking, with intricate wordplay at a few places that needed working … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,038 (10/01/10)
A very tough week for me, not helped by not being able to locate an unusually high number of the answers in Chambers, rather than just the names and places. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, … Read more >>
Guardian 24,908 – Arachne
Found this quite tough to get into but got there in the end… some very clever cluing, I thought. Nice theme of eating and drinking, with some kind of nod towards it in … Read more >>
Independent 7254/Phi
The usual nice Phi, not too hard but one or two tricky ones. I think the little Nina is just that 10ac refers to 11ac and 26ac refers to 25ac. Across 1 MO(V AB)LES — my … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1107: Removals by Ploy
Jumbles of words have to be removed from nine clues before solving; these words form five items and we have to black out a symmetrical two-word phrase in the completed grid that describes … Read more >>
Guardian 24907 / Chifonie
A typically enjoyable Chifonie, I think – some tricky clues sprinkled among the easier ones [Links to the puzzle as HTML, PDF and Java Applet] Across 7. MISSPENT MISS = “girl” + PENT … Read more >>