July 2011 – Page 5 – Fifteensquared

Independent 7,721 / Phi

Fri July 15, 2011 at 9:00 am by RatkojaRiku

I particularly enjoyed solving and blogging this Phi puzzle, my first Phi for a while. An initial perusal revealed only a few (short) entries, then a lot of solutions came in a flurry, … Read more >>

Independent 7,721/Radian

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:06 pm by Ali

Well, to paraphrase Mark Twain, some may see this as a good puzzle spoiled, but I thought it was a belter. Coinciding with the start of The Open today, Radian has crammed a … Read more >>

Financial Times no. 13,745 by HAMILTON

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:16 pmThu July 14, 2011 at 9:37 am by Ringo

Mostly a doddle, this one, in spite of a couple of sly misdirections and too many financial allusions for this solver’s comfort (although I suppose there may be solvers who buy the FT … Read more >>

Guardian 25,374 – Crucible

Thu July 14, 2011 at 8:40 am by Andrew

I’ve found some of Crucible’s puzzles rather hard, so I was a bit worried when I saw that I had to blog this one, but it turned out to be quite reasonable, though … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,735 by Mudd

Thu July 14, 2011 at 2:00 amThu July 14, 2011 at 12:01 am by Pete Maclean

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 2 I enjoyed this relatively easy Mudd. Easy except that 24A (EVERTON) stumped me for a good while. My favourite clue is 11A (DISAPPOINT) while … Read more >>

The typical excellent Dac crossword with nothing at all controversial. There are one or two slightly unusual words, or unusual uses at any rate, but they are clear enough from the wordplay. Across … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,744 by Cinephile

Wed July 13, 2011 at 10:31 am by PeeDee

Cinephile gets everything right in this crossword: inventive, varied, no sloppy clues and exactly the right level of difficulty. Altogether a pleasure to solve and a pleasure to blog. Thanks Cinephile. Hold mouse over … Read more >>

Inquisitor 1184: Switzerland’s Finest by Chalicea

Fri July 15, 2011 at 12:43 pmWed July 13, 2011 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Chalicea – a setter new to the Inquisitor {but see comment 7}, and, appropriately for me, I flew to Zürich the day after the puzzle’s publication and I’m blogging from the Bernese alps. … Read more >>

Guardian 25,373 – Puck

Wed July 13, 2011 at 1:09 am by manehi

Not too difficult, a fun theme and some great cluing – my favourites were 1a, 18a, 3d and 13d. Across 1 FLAVOUR L[amb] in FAVOUR=”something curried” 5 MAMMOTH MAM + MOTHer are the … Read more >>

Financial Times 13743 Redshank

Wed September 14, 2011 at 12:44 pmTue July 12, 2011 at 12:34 pm by scchua

This was no pushover. Enjoyable mental workout with quite a few of the clues. Some nice surfaces. There’s a minor reference to an annual event, but can’t find anything else significant. Small quibble … Read more >>

Independent 7718 by Scorpion

Tue July 12, 2011 at 12:20 pm by flashling

A nice puzzle from Scorpion, took me slightly longer than usual as I got held up by 1d and the SE corner. Yes it’s themed – lots of references to dead parrots … Read more >>

Guardian 25,372 – Brummie

Thu July 14, 2011 at 10:15 amTue July 12, 2011 at 3:22 am by Uncle Yap

Another fine morning’s worth of entertainment and clownery, solving and blogging Brummie whose other contribution I look forward to every fortnight in the Private Eye. More as I discuss individual clues below. I … Read more >>

Guardian 25371 / Rufus

Mon July 11, 2011 at 5:10 pm by Gaufrid

I got back from the shops a short while ago to find that we have no Guardian blog today so here is a quick analysis of the clues. I didn’t solve this puzzle … Read more >>

Independent 7717 by Quixote

Mon July 11, 2011 at 11:48 am by nmsindy

Gentle and enjoyable Monday puzzle from Quixote, solving time 16 mins, which is v fast for me. * = anagram 1 PR (pair) IN CE (Church) Even most Indy readers will know that … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 608/Moley

Mon July 11, 2011 at 8:38 am by Pierre

A clearly clued puzzle from Moley with some nice touches – just right for a Quiptic, I thought. If anything, it’s a little anagram-heavy, but in a beginner’s puzzle, I don’t think you … Read more >>