Financial Times 14372 Armonie
This was tricky in parts – quite a few red-herrings posing as indicators. Got it in the end, and thanks to Tuesday regular Armonie. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at … Read more >>
Month: July 2013
Independent 8353 / Scorpion
This was a puzzle with a theme. The theme may not be common knowledge to everyone, especially those solvers from outside the United Kingdom. The wordplay however is fairly … Read more >>
Guardian 26,007 by Gordius
I always approach Gordius with a great deal of trepidation as he makes up for the lack of wit and humour with bits and pieces of obscurity that will tax the most patient … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 714 / Pan
A very pleasant puzzle from Pan, just right for a Quiptic. Most of the definitions given are from Chambers 12th Edition. Most of the standard abbreviations used in the wordplay are shown with … Read more >>
Independent 8352 by Alchemi
In terms of difficulty, this was somewhat akin to beating Australia at cricket – occasional bits of resistance but mostly a pushover. Having said that, there were some nicely written clues – I … Read more >>
Guardian 26,006 – Rufus
A very quick solve for me today, with Rufus’s characteristic abundance of double and cryptic definitions; and, as far as I can see, one completely non-cryptic definition. Across … Read more >>
Private Eye / Cyclops 499 – ID
How did I end up on a Sunday night an hour from the usual midnight deadline scrubbling together a blog for a puzzle I solved, and made notes for(!), over a week ago. … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,219
Whilst I’d hesitate to ever use the word “easy” about a Beelzebub puzzle, this one certainly seemed to reside at the more tractable end of the spectrum. I managed to finish unaided in … Read more >>
Everyman No. 3484 (14th July)
Lorraine: Good morning to you all. Started off quite quickly this morning with 14, 18ac and 22dn being the first in the grid. Spotted 14ac straight away as it is one of my favourite … Read more >>
Azed 2145
A plain Azed puzzle today, with no tricks or clue adjustments. I found this to be a fairly standard Azed. I am not 100% sure about the parsing of 3 … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1221 Raich
I remember that this didn’t pose too much of a problem, at the time of solving. Like this one, I’ve enjoyed Raich’s puzzles in the weekday Indy, and also liked and blogged his … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1077: A Figure produced by Oxymoron
It’s always a pleasure to blog an Oxymoron (or Schadenfreude!) puzzle, and this one was titled A Figure produced by Oxymoron—intriguing! Only eleven misprint clues this week, the balance being made up of … Read more >>
Independent 8345 by Bannsider (Saturday Prize Puzzle 13 July 2013)
Phew! What a scorcher…and I don’t mean the actual summer heatwave we are enjoying (enduring?) here in the UK, I mean the tough mental workout this week, from a man at the top … Read more >>
Guardian 25,999 / Araucaria
For reasons that aren’t quite clear to me, we found this the most difficult prize crossword in a long time! The grid is certainly a tough one, with very few checked first letters, … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,369 by Peto
A gentle workout Across 1 COLOSSAL huge LOSS (defeat) in COAL (fossil fuel) 5 SHARES parts HARE (animal) in SS (ship) 9 RUTHLESS having no pity (HUSTLERS)* 10 BANTAM … Read more >>