Never knowingly undersolved
A pleasant offering this week, very much at the easier end of the scale, we felt. 8dn (pastern) was the only real stumbling block, mainly because we struggled to get ‘postern’ out of … Read more >>
A well-balanced mix of tractability and trickiness . I came unstuck in the SW quadrant, due to an over-impulsive stab at 17D, but overall the answers manifested themselves at a satisfyingly steady and … Read more >>
I’m possibly a little jaded against loose setting having just come out of exams, but this wasn’t my favourite Paul. Maybe 3 and 5 will look better in the morning. Across 1 ANUBIS … Read more >>
Monday Prize Crossword on 7 June 2010 A nice change from the easier Dante and Crux. Mudd employs some devices which are unusual and therefore challenging for a Monday. Most entertaining as well … Read more >>
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 5 Cincinnus regales us with another selection of clues many of which are so simple they seem almost obvious but are really brilliant. My faves … Read more >>
As usual a nice puzzle from Dac. I may be getting old and feeble, and the fact that I did it on-screen meant that I had to get the anagrams without writing anything … Read more >>
No particular problems today apart from 27ac where I cannot make up my mind as to the correct interpretation of the clue. There are a couple of possibilities, or maybe even something else … Read more >>
My second posthumous puzzle in a row – Quantum died in May 2008 – and sadly another one that I can’t be very enthusiastic about. Most of the clues are fine, though not … Read more >>
I found this pretty challenging (=difficult), though really interesting, and certainly would not have finished it without computer aids! (My favourite is a little program I’ve had for many years called “Puzzlex”.) We had … Read more >>
Superb themed fun puzzle from Virgilius with some really clever clues. All the acrosses are pairs in one form or another. Solving time, 20 mins. * = anagram 1 BOO-BOO Boo twice 4 … Read more >>
Some clever clues here from Crux. As seems usual for me lately, there is one clue I haven’t been able to parse: 19 across. I’m sure it’s something clever that will elicit an … Read more >>
What a tantalising offering from Puck who teased and tormented us with such a wide and varied array of cryptic devices …. and like all masochistic cruciverbalists, I thoroughly enjoyed each clue. ACROSS … Read more >>
As usual, good stuff from Rufus – smooth surface readings, clever constructions and plenty of smiles from the cryptic definitions. (Apologies for any errors – I’ve had to do this post very fast … Read more >>
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism Obviously, this was written a few weeks ago when the ash cloud debacle was at its height. Inexplicably, though, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano doesn’t seem … Read more >>
This puzzle reminded me (after completion) of a famous clue from N C Dexter, back in January 1984 (Azed 610), when the word to be clued was DOUBLETHINK. The winning clue was: By … Read more >>