Year: 2015

Independent 8956/Raich

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A sound Monday puzzle in the usual Raich style.  Several that I found difficult to parse, and one I can’t parse at all.       Abbreviations cd  cryptic definition dd  double definition … Read more >>

Beelzebub 1,320

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A rare uninterrupted single-session solve for me, though the amount of scribbles on my paper suggest it was no walkover. Chambers got a fair bit of use to finish off the last quarter … Read more >>

AZED 2,246

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Quite a straightforward exercise in using Chambers (aka TBRB).  I got hung up though for ages on the SW corner since I had confidently entered GRINS instead of GIRNS for 32A.

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Guardian Prize 26,603 / Shed

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Preambles of blogs on Shed puzzles often include the words ‘welcome return’ or some such expression. It’s six months since we had Shed in the Prize slot. I remember how years [and I … Read more >>

Independent 8,954 by Phi

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Phi has not in my opinion shone quite so brightly this week as he usually does. It seems to me that several of the definitions, both of the answers and within the wordplay, are rather tenuous, although no doubt people will explain how I am missing things.

I took a long time to finish the NW corner; Rienzi was slow to appear, even though Phi gave us plenty of help by defining it as a German opera, which immediately cut out more than half of them. 12ac was apparently unsound, but more likely never properly understood, and the double definition at 8dn was also a problem. When I gave up and went to aids my Chambers Crossword Dictionary didn’t help: Bradford may have been better.

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Financial Times 14,967 by MAGWITCH

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Magwitch gives us company this Friday morning – with a challenge filled with straightforward elegant cluing as has come to be expected of her. Quite a lot easier compared to her earlier grids so an excellent opportunity for newbies at the FT to get familiar with the solving experience. Thanks Magwitch !

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