Financial Times 13,468 / Jason
I heard a short while ago that Agentzero cannot make it today so here is the clue analysis. There is only limited commentary because I am very pressed for time as I have to … Read more >>
Month: August 2010
Independent 7,449 by Radian
I’m a big fan of Radian’s puzzles, so was happy to see the name come up today. This was an enjoyable challenge, themed around 1ac. This was a bit of trawl (pun intended?) … Read more >>
Guardian 25103 – Paul
Hurray! On the trot, I get to blog Paul, indeed a master craftsman who did not disappoint with his unique brand of teasing and tantalising clues, ranging from the obvious to the obscure; … Read more >>
Independent 7448 by Mordred
An excellent puzzle from Mordred. It is themed on the TV sitcom Last of the Summer Wine (hereinafter LSW) which, after a record-breaking 37 years is coming to an end with the last … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic nº563 by Moley
This puzzle was on the easy side for Quiptics, with some clever surfaces and a few smiles. I hope to live up to Gaufrid’s brilliant initial blog! ACROSS 1. SERIAL homophone – sounds … Read more >>
Guardian 25,102 / Rufus
A pleasant Bank Holiday diversion from Rufus, after Saturday’s tour-de-force from Araucaria, with several smiles along the way. Thank you, Rufus, and a happy holiday, everyone! Across 9 EBULLIENT: BULL [farm animal] + … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 424 – Besmear drummer
Half-way through solving this I thought I was on for a record time – covering half the grid in a very few minutes. Then I slowed and then got interrupted by Real Life. … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1071 by Quixote – 22nd August 2010
Morning all. An impressive grid this week with no fewer than eight 15-letter answers. These long answers were mostly presented as anagrams, and unpicking them all took some time. Our pick of the … Read more >>
Azed 1995
I managed to solve about three-quarters of this puzzle without any assistance from Chambers or the internet. It’s surprising what being on holiday in remote places can do for the brain. However, I … Read more >>
Everyman 3334
Not my favourite one ever. Far too many anagrams (just under half of all the clues contained anagrams) and some obscure knowledge – I don’t think I have ever used the phrase at … Read more >>
Guardian 25,095 (Sat 21 Aug)/Araucaria – Any colour as long as it’s black and white
Solving time: 8 mins I found this the most enjoyable Araucaria I’ve done for a good while. The surface readings almost all made good sense and the cryptic indications were much more accurate … Read more >>
Independent 7441 by Scorpion (Saturday 21 August)
Solving time: About 38 minutes says my copy, but I think this includes an arbitrary penalty for running out of patience and looking up the posssibilities for 5D, which was a bit poor … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.928 – Leonard’s Puzzled by Rustic
A smaller grid this week – only 121 blank squares, instead of the normal 169. Will this translate into a shorter solving time? The preamble offers a slight cause for concern – if the quotation … Read more >>
Independent 7446/Phi
The usual excellent stuff from Phi. All the clues are neat (those that I can understand, anyway) and the whole thing is very satisfactory. Across 1 CA BAL{l} — or I suppose c a … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,475 / Bradman
It is befitting that we have a lovely Bradman puzzle to solve on Don Bradman‘s birthday. Many anagram clues today, some excellent ones like 27a and 17d. Across 1 DEVILS ADVOCATE (ADVISED LOVE … Read more >>