Financial Times 13,418 / Courtier
This is at least the third year running that “Courtier” has posted a puzzle with a timely theme. Presumably it is one of the usual setters using a different pseudonym. Any guesses? I … Read more >>
Month: June 2010
Guardian 25,043 – Pasquale
Solving this puzzle was pretty routine and amusing, given that The Don is always scrupulously fair. However, writing a blog and explaining each and every wordplay is another thing and took me ages. … Read more >>
Independent 7388 by Eimi
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism The web site is still showing Friday’s puzzle – not sure if this is an error or the beginning of a new policy under … Read more >>
Guardian 25,042 / Rufus
A very easy start to the week and one completed rather quickly whilst watching the sun rise on the summer solstice. A typical Rufus with the odd good cd (3dn) and some less so … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 419 – Big Nancy
I must be getting better at these. Another Eye crossy that was knocked off without raising a sweat. The long giveaway answer gave away lots of crossing letters and everything else slotted in … Read more >>
Azed 1985
The usual pleasurable experience. All the clues are utterly sound and you know you’ll get there in the end, even if the progress is a bit slow. The words are — in this … Read more >>
Everyman 3324
A few slightly more obscure answers and a little fiendish wordplay here and there (8dn in particular) made this one a bit tricky, but hopefully pretty fair. Some lovely surfaces dotted about too. … Read more >>
Guardian 25,035 (Sat 12 June) / Paul
I don’t know what has happened to rightback this week unless he has been drowning his sorrows due to the recent England performances (though England have just beaten the Wallabies 🙂 ). A … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 918: Motorworks by Piccadilly
Well, it seems that I’m the blogger that gets saddled with all the EVs involving jumbled entries! There are twenty extra words in clues to be discovered, paired and jumbled to form the … Read more >>
Independent 7,386 by Phi
An enjoyable and fairly challenging Friday Phi. The grid seemed to fill from the bottom up for me, and I was perhaps held up by some unfamiliar terms, for example at 15ac and … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,415 / Viking
A fine offering from Viking. The SE corner was tricky to unravel, the rest of the answers fell into place without hiccups though the wordplay took more time to work out. 1A, 13A … Read more >>
Guardian 25,040 / Bonxie
An entertaining puzzle from Bonxie, featuring references to Guardian crossword compilers, past and present. [I must admit to having forgotten some of them.] Lots of clever surfaces and wordplay. Across 8 GADABOUT: A … Read more >>
Independent 7381 by Phi (Saturday Prize Puzzle 12 June 2010)
My most recent Inquisitor blog was a puzzle by Phi, as is this. I said in the Inquisitor blog that I enjoy Phi’s cluing. It is unambiguous and often very clever. I got … Read more >>
Independent 7,385/Tees
Thursdays are never particularly easy in the Indy and, after an initial run through of the clues on this one, I thought I’d be relying heavily on the online cheat facility by the … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,059 (06/06/2010)
Apologies for a delayed post again. The usual top quality puzzle, with the bonus of several good long anagrams this week. I think I found this one of average difficulty, but made life … Read more >>