Everyman No. 3383 (31st July)
Lorraine: Good morning to you all, no problems this week, I found I got through this weeks rather quickly. Lots of anagrams which I particularly like. Favourites for me were: 1ac(easy) 13ac, 17ac, 20ac, … Read more >>
Month: August 2011
Azed 2044
This is the first AZED puzzle I have blogged. Azed was my introduction to barred puzzles many years ago, but I drifted away as I began to have a go at Listeners and … Read more >>
Independent 7,734 by Monk (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 30/07/11)
It’s always exciting, if a little daunting, to see a Monk puzzle pop up, especially on a blogging day. That was particularly true this week. I must admit I thought I was going … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 977 – The Red and Whites by Kruger
With the new football season only a week or two away, and given the title, and the preamble indicating that 8 answers have to be replaced (substituted?), one could be forgiven for expecting this to be … Read more >>
Guardian Prize Puzzle 25,388 by Biggles
For those that don’t already know, Biggles is used a psedonym on crosswords compiled as a group effort from Araucaria, Enigmatist, Paul and Shed. Biggles was the eponymous WWII hero of the series of novels by … Read more >>
Independent 7,739/Phi
Apologies for the lateness and brevity. This was great stuff as ever from Phi, and given how busy I’ve been today, mercifully low on clues. I think it might be a pangram too, … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,764 / Falcon
Most of this felt straightforward and pleasant. There were a few too many proper nouns for my liking but nothing that the wordplay did not help with. My picks of the day are … Read more >>
Guardian 25,393 – Tramp
Having struggled somewhat with Tramp’s Genius puzzle last month, I was a bit apprehensive to see his name again here, but this turned out to be quite plain sailing. Of the linked answers, … Read more >>
Financial Times no.13,763 by FLIMSY
Thursday seems to have crept up on me this week; sorry I’m a little late. Some very smart clues from Flimsy today; only one or two I’m not 100% sure about. ACROSS 1. … Read more >>
Guardian 25,392 – Araucaria
Found this on the easy side for an Araucaria, which still meant a pleasant challenge. Favourite clue probably 14dn. Across 1 ANNE FINE 2001-2003 Children’s Laureate. [ch]ANNE[l] + FINE=excellent 5 GLIDER =aircraft. LID=cover … Read more >>
Independent 7738/Mordred
A good crossword from Mordred, but the Nina is completely lost on me. When I’d solved it there was a message inviting me to find all the examples of 16ac. If this is what it … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,753 by Cinephile
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 23 Cinephile is back with one of his themes, this time a minor one (watches and watchers) that does not have any cryptic meaning. I … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,762 by Monk
A difficult, but very good crossword from Monk with many good clues to choose from. There are so many misleading surfaces and red-herrings that for a while I was staring at a blank grid not … Read more >>
Independent 7737 by Dac
Dac’s back after a week away. 1ac is a new term for me but a quick internet search confirmed it. Some nice long anagrams to get yer teeth into. Indicates Anagram = * … Read more >>
The Guardian No 25,391by Orlando
I was pleased to see Orlando as my first cryptic blog, as I usually tune in quite well to his style. Nevertheless, there are a number of unfamiliar words here, either in the … Read more >>