Independent 8,476 by Phi
A typically pleasant crossword from Phi on a Friday. There is no doubt some subtle Nina, but, as usual with me and Phi (actually most other people as well), I can’t see it. … Read more >>
Month: December 2013
Guardian 26,130 / Puck
Friday the thirteenth but nothing sinister in this basket of fruit [nothing given away, I think – like Brendan’s ‘sense’, on Monday, ‘fruit’ appears throughout the clues] from Puck – just the playful … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,495 by MAGWITCH
An interesting one from Magwitch this, with a fair share of anagrams, which I quite like as they help me get started quickly. My first time posting a solution here, so do appreciate … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No 1098 Find and replace by Poat
A new setter for me to blog, but not a new setter. Poat’s puzzles tends to lie at the harder end of the spectrum – all seems so simple 16 clues with words … Read more >>
Guardian 26,129 by Boatman
Found this very tricky, but lots of fun with a spooky theme. Favourites were 23a, 26a and 16d. Still not sure how to parse 3d. Across 1,15 Long odds of tango and cha-cha … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,494 by Hamilton
I really enjoyed this offering from Hamilton, even though it wasn’t the tightest or most tidily-clued puzzle I’ve ever seen (it had a sort of slightly sloppy, demob-happy, mid-December feel to it (or … Read more >>
Independent 8475 / Punk
When we saw that it is Punk today, we knew we were in for an enjoyable challenge – and we weren’t disappointed. We were slightly surprised that several of the clues – particularly the … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,485 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword/Dec 2 Solvers often say that Dante’s crosswords are full of cryptic and double definitions. Well, here is a clear example of that. While I am not a big fan of … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,493 by Monk
An easier than usual puzzle from Monk, but no less enjoyable for that. The grid shape means there are many fewer clues than normal, so this led to a quick solve. There are also … Read more >>
Guardian 26,128 – Picaroon
This was one of those puzzles where I got almost nothing on my first pass through, but then everything suddenly started falling into place quite quickly. Plenty of good-quality clueing, with a clever … Read more >>
Independent 8,474 / Dac
Once again, Dac is responsible for the Wednesday cruciverbal challenge this week. I found this an easier-than-average Dac solve, and made steady progress through the puzzle from start to finish. 2, 3 and … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,484 by Cinephile
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 30, 2013 It falls to me to blog John Graham’s final puzzle. And what a typically Cinephilean crossword it it! Like many of his it … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1310: Scepticism by Hypnos
After the horrors of 1309, (still unfinished at the time of writing) we were hoping for something a little more simple this week, and so it turned out. A first read through on … Read more >>
Financial Times 14492 Sayang
Apart from a couple of tricky ones, quite a straightforward puzzle to solve and parse. Thanks to Sayang. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to … Read more >>
Guardian 26,127 by Pasquale
Quixote’s harder brother, struggled a bit with this to be honest, some rare words and some of the wordplay has me less than convinced. Thanks Pasquale. Oh and for folks using the mobile … Read more >>