Independent – 7517 by Nestor
To borrow a phrase from Anax this was for me a monster. I found bits of this at times beyond me and I’ve still got some gaps in the wordplay for you lucky … Read more >>
Month: November 2010
Financial Times 13,546 / Hamilton
I think this could well be Hamilton’s first foray into the “supersized-anagram-plus-friends” type of theme. Fortunately the down clues are quite generous, and provided plenty of early checking letters for the main thematic … Read more >>
Guardian 25171 / Arachne
I found this quite a tricky solve, with some intricate wordplay – looking back at the clues, though, I’m not sure it should have caused me so many problems. I’ll put this down … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,537 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword on 8 November 2010 Once again, it is back to good old Dante with his slick and smooth clues which entertain without over-taxing one’s grey cells. ACROSS 1 ARCHIVES Ins … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,536 by Mudd
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 6 Now here is what I call a good Mudd, a puzzle that I can easily imagine took a lot of thought. It was somewhat … Read more >>
Independent 7,516 by Dac
I thought this was rather good. This was certainly quite challenging, at least for me. Many clues took a lot of working out, and also a lot of discipline not be be misled … Read more >>
Guardian 25,170 / Paul
This was a real treat – a beautifully constructed puzzle with a clever theme, the musical part of which was right up my street. [If this were an Araucaria or a Gordius puzzle, … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,545 / Cinephile
It’s Wednesday so there is a good chance that we will see Cinephile, this time with one of his ‘XX has the same meaning throughout’ puzzles. A pleasant stroll on a very wet … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1151 – On the Rebound by Kruger
This puzzle contained a device I’d never seen before, which, at first glance looked like it was going to prove troublesome. In the end, however, it was fairly easy-going. Each entry had to rebound off … Read more >>
Independent 7,515/Scorpion
A quick scan of the 3 most recent blogs on Scorpion puzzles reveals ‘perfectly all right, ‘a remarkably quick solve’ and ‘a bit easier’. Today’s offering – which I found really hard – … Read more >>
Guardian 25169 Orlando – As Merry As A Grig
Last Monday, the FT changed the usual setter and gave me Cincinnus to blog. Today, I got a double with his Guardian alter ego, Orlando. Double helping of steak and kidney pie! And … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,544 / Phssthpok
No shortage of cleverness here! Some of these clues needed a second (or third) look before I could be sure I had parsed them correctly. My clear favourite is 17 down: natural surface, … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 574 / Arachne
No problems with today’s offering from Arachne. My favourite clue was 9 across. All definitions given are from Chambers 11th Edition or the Oxford Dictionary of English. Most of the standard abbreviations used … Read more >>
Guardian 25,168 – Rufus
Typically easy Monday fare from Rufus today – not much else to say, really, except that I’m dubious about the construction of 3dn. Across 1. OUTCAST OUT (striking) … Read more >>
Independent 7514 by Mordred
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism Enjoyable puzzle by Mordred of middling difficulty. It was probably a better puzzle for more experienced solvers because it had a few old staples … Read more >>