Good puzzle with flashes of wit.
Month: September 2017
Guardian Cryptic 27,312 by Philistine
I liked this a lot…
Independent 9658 / Maize
This our first blog of a Maize puzzle, and we hope it won’t be our last! We really enjoyed this – some original clueing and ‘interesting’ definitions, with a few relatively easy … Read more >>
Guardian 27,311 – Rufus
Typical Rufus fare for a Monday morning. Not much more to say, really… Thanks to Rufus. Across 1. STEP ON IT Hurry, if you want to use … Read more >>
Independent 9657/Tees
Tees in the Monday slot again, with a puzzle I found hard to get into, but which fell once I had a few clues in the top and bottom halves. There’s a wide … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 932/Moley
A fair enough Quiptic from Moley this morning, but I do wish the Guardian would stop using this grid. The large number of clues with less than 50% checking can be off-putting for … Read more >>
Everyman 3,701
The usual Everyman crossword, good surfaces, mostly easy-ish clues without the outrageous devices seen in some other papers.
AZED 2,362
Azed has been kind with the vocabulary this week, I did not spend nearly as much time inside Chambers as usual. A very enjoyable puzzle, thank you Azed.
Independent on Sunday 1,439 by Peter
The solutions are clear enough but one or two bits in the clues that I can’t explain away. Not the sort of thing you worry about or even notice as a solver, but as a blogger trying to explain each detail these things bother me. Thanks Peter.
Independent 9656 / Nimrod
A Saturday Nimrod – enough to send a shiver up your spine! As expected there are a couple which we need some help with. We were struggling towards the end and as … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1295: Circuit Diagram by Granville
It must be 30-plus years since I last drew a CIRCUIT DIAGRAM, in ‘O’ and ‘A’ level physics, so this offering from Granville (a new setter on the scene?) had me thinking OMG … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 27,304 by Paul
Having prepared myself for some serious lateral thinking Paul plays it straight this week. Thanks Paul, always a pleasure to solve and blog.
Financial Times 15,661 by WANDERER
I enjoyed solving today’s puzzle from WANDERER, thanks to whom for serving up his usual dose of clever, intriguing cluing.
Guardian 27,309 – Qaos
I found this a strange mixture: some very easy “beginner” clues (and a couple of rather vague/weak cryptic definitions), and others that I struggled over for ages, including one unknown word that even … Read more >>
Independent 9,655 by Phi
Duncan’s away on holiday for a month so I’m standing in back in my old slot for 4 weeks.