Inquisitor 1681: Problem Solved by Quixote
Quixote makes a return to the Inquisitor series this week, 4 years and 5 months after his previous puzzle. Still that’s shorter than the gap back to the one before that which was … Read more >>
Month: January 2021
Independent 10,692 by Atrica
Atrica, as usual, has produced a tricky but enjoyable challenge. I particularly liked the cleverly misleading 23a, the wry political comment of 5d, and the typically English understatement of the definition in 6d. … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,687 by NEO
A gentle week-day warm-up. Not the stiffest test – actually pretty much a write-in – but no complaints, all solidly clued and with the odd, 'Oh, obviously' to keep interest alive. Thanks to … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,346 by Pasquale
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28346. A very genial composition from the Don – I found it progressed quite smoothly, with some chuckles on the way. ACROSS 1 ANTILOGARITHMS That moralising upset … Read more >>
Quiptic 1,105 by Pan
Thanks to Pan for our entertainment today. The Quiptic’s brief is “for beginners and those in a hurry”. This one perhaps stretches the definition a little, with a few less familiar words and … Read more >>
Independent 10,691 by Klingsor
A trickier than usual Monday puzzle today – as we’d expect from Klingsor, who normally appears later in the week. There are some unusual constructions, including the reverse wordplay of 1a and the … Read more >>
Guardian 28,345 / Carpathian
It’s Carpathian starting the week with an elegant and well-clued puzzle. Some of the definitions are not the first to spring to mind, which, along with smooth surfaces throughout, made the puzzle interesting … Read more >>
Private Eye (Cyclops / 693) Gobby Sort
So, after the exigencies of the Xmas monster, we expect not just return to normal, but a more gentle puzzle to let us get over the new year hangover. What we got was … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,686 by GURNEY
A rare sighting of a Monday morning GURNEY… Quite a mixed bag today, with the excellent 9a (great anagram and surface) and 16a (very clever, though I’ve a suspicion I’ve seen it before), … Read more >>
The New Site Theme
As you will have noticed, Fifteensquared has had a make-over (and not before time, some of you might say!). Apart from the new appearance, with larger font sizes to make reading easier when … Read more >>
Everyman 3,874/10 January
The Everyman is a puzzle that is meant to be easy-end, and tractable enough for newish or less experienced solvers. This particular example was a step – or several steps – too far … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,535 Plain
An uncontroversial (I think) plain Azed this week. There are a couple of hard to classify clues at 16 and 29 and (particularly) 30 across, but otherwise the usual mix of common and … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1612 Tees
Thank you to Tees, our regular Sunday setter. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Reduce consumption? That’s futile (7) USELESS : [USE LESS](reduce consumption). 5. Man turned right in Bath, finding … Read more >>
Independent 10,690 by Nimrod (Sat 16-Jan 2021)
So here we are again, the calendar has turned and I have landed a Saturday Nimrod When tackling it I didn’t bother to time myself, I knew it would take ages. It definitely … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 28,338 by Pan
So far as I can tell, this is the first time that a puzzle by Pan has featured in the Saturday slot. Normally, Pan’s puzzles appear on a Monday and it cannot be … Read more >>