Guardian 24,968 / Bonxie
A reasonably straightforward puzzle from Bonxie, with some nice touches. I have some quibbles with two or three definitions. Across 1 SCARECROW: anagram of CAW SCORER: this surface made me smile. 6 BOOM: … Read more >>
Month: March 2010
Independent 7,314 by Phi
It’s a while since I blogged a Friday Phi, so either I’m a little rusty or this was quite a tough one. Not having heard of the relevant trilogy didn’t help, although it … Read more >>
Independent 7309 – Saturday Prize Puzzle by Nimrod
I found this hard and took a good afternoon to solve it. There were a couple of words or phrases I had not come across before, namely CACOETHES SCRIBENDI and PULQUE. I knew … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,343 / Orense
Another typically solid puzzle from Orense (does anyone know whether the correct pronunciation is O-rense or Oar-ense? I’ve always wondered.). One answer entered more in hope than expectation at 7D. Across 1 BUFFER … Read more >>
Independent 7,313/Nestor
Apologies, I’ll need to be brief today, so won’t be able to give this the full treatment it deserves. I found this to be a tough but very enjoyable puzzle from Nestor. I … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1049 by Quixote 21st March 2010
The usual enjoyable bag of tricks from Quixote. A couple of inventive clues stood out for us: 6 down and 17 across. ACROSS 1. KOPECK ‘ok’ backwards, followed by peck ‘a little kiss’ … Read more >>
Guardian 24,967 – Orlando
Good fun from Orlando today with a theme of famous Belgians, and a few references to Belgium in some of the clues as well. Sound and inventive clueing throughout, with some trickily-concealed defintiions … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1117: 7 Down by Schadenfreude
Each across answer produces a single clash with a down answer, the latter being the grid entry. The unentered letters are one definition of 7d, which itself cryptically indicates one item in each … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,334 – Falcon
Monday Prize Crossword on 15 March 2010 Quite a varied potpourri of not-too-difficult clues. Very fair and entertaining. ACROSS 1,28 MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET Allusion to the fact that the Channel Tunnel was … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,333 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 15 I remember FT puzzle number 10,000 and now here we are a third of the way through another batch of 10,000. Cincinnus marks the … Read more >>
Guardian 24,966 – Paul
Found this fairly easy for a Paul, and one with a little theme of Yorkshire towns at that. Several lovely and inventive clues. Across 1 SPONSOR S[econd] + NS=”team” in bridge inside POOR=”poxy” … Read more >>
Independent 7312/Dac
Not the easiest Dac puzzle, I thought. The explanation of two or three answers still eludes me, but no doubt someone will explain. The two symmetrical pairs of eight-letter answers look significant, but … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,342 / Hamilton
I found this to be something of a mixture, some very easy and obvious clues and others where the wordplay was convoluted and difficult to parse. The result was that about 20% of the … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,341 / Neo
I was just thinking that it had been a little while since we had seen Neo. Here he is with a fresh collection of clues. I found these to be high on inventiveness … Read more >>
Independent 7311 by Tees
Enjoyable, themed, puzzle from Tees, solving time 38 mins. Very impressed with how much themed material was in the grid, without sign of strain with other answers. * = anagram < = reversed … Read more >>