Everyman 3447/28 October
Another nicely constructed and accessible puzzle from Everyman. One or two chestnuts, but – in the UK at least – it’s getting to that chestnutty time of year, and in a puzzle aimed … Read more >>
Month: November 2012
Independent 8,124 by Bannsider (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 27/10/12)
There may have been an involuntary “oh crikey” emitted when I opened the paper to discover I’d drawn a Bannsider to blog. In the event this wasn’t as hard as it might have … Read more >>
Guardian Prize No 25,778 / Paul
A harder than usual prize puzzle this week, I thought. A theme exploiting two meanings of an old chestnut which often crops up in cryptic crosswords. Thanks to Paul for a satisfying challenge. … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1041: What’s the Point by Oxymoron
I noticed last week that the deadline for EV entries moved, with effect from number 1039, from Friday to Thursday. I guess we should be posting our blogs sometime on Friday now, in … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,151 by Falcon
An enjoyable challenge Across 1 MAHLER (Gustav – composer) MAILER (Norman) H[ead] for I (Italian) 4 ADVANCED dd 10 JUMP LEADS (help to start car) JUMP (clear) LEADS (clues) 11 … Read more >>
Guardian 25,783 / Paul
A highly entertaining, characteristically Paul puzzle today, with lots of witty, clever and misleading surfaces and wordplay, so plenty of smiles and ‘aha’ moments to help the solving along. Many thanks, Paul, for … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1182
Fiendishly challenging Across 1 Got on without last of stage make-up FARD (make-up) [stag]E from FARED (got on) 6 Thin bit of vaulting in moulded steel SVELTE (thin) V[aulting] in … Read more >>
Independent 8,129 / Phi
Owing to a change in the scheduling a few weeks back, it had not fallen to me to blog a Phi puzzle for quite some time, although it was on the cards for … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,150 by Sleuth
It’s absolutely perishingly cold in Yorkshire this morning and I have run out of coffee – so thank goodness for Sleuth, who at least got my brain-cells humming (even if I can no … Read more >>
Independent 8128 / Scorpion
Scorpion is an occasional contributor to daily Independent puzzles, probably about once a month. When I solved this I noticed what I thought was a high number of entries ending … Read more >>
Guardian 25,782 – Orlando
This somehow didn’t feel like a typical Orlando while I was solving it, especially with the long answer at 5,11,18, which is more the sort of thing one expects from Araucaria or Paul. … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,141 – Crux
Monday Prize Crossword/Oct 22 Two weeks ago, Bamberger was very clear: “Bring back Crux!”. Well, here he is [the number of the puzzle being a palindrome!] with, in my opinion, one of his gentler crosswords … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,140 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 20, 2012 Here we have another brilliant puzzle from Cincinnus. My favourite clues are 18A (LAMA), 4D (DENOUNCE), 13D (LEGERDEMAIN) and 17D (AVENGERS). I also … Read more >>