Never knowingly undersolved
Andrew Mostly straightforward stuff from Brummie today, though I was held up for a while in the NW corner. We have an impressive array of circus acts, with SWORD SWALLOWER, LION TAMER, TRICK CYCLIST, … Read more >>
A typically clever puzzle from Brendan, with almost every clue containing “part” … … and in the two that don’t (10a and 17a) PART is, er, part of the answer. A bit of … Read more >>
The grid seemed to be almost divided in half diagonally by a long chain of bars; I filled in the NE half quite quickly but took rather longer over the SW. All successfully … Read more >>
I found this a bit harder than usual for a Vulcan, perhaps because of the large number double and cryptic definitions – some of the latter rather vague, I thought. Thanks to Vulcan. … Read more >>
I found it very hard to get started on this, and it didn’t get much easier as I progressed. Fortunately it all came out in the end. Thanks to Paul for the challenge. … Read more >>
A new setter, or at least a new pseudonym, for the Genius slot: perhaps a John le Carré fan? The rather strangely-worded instructions tell us that “Fourteen clues contain no definition of their … Read more >>
Quite a tricky one from Tramp today, with some devious constructions. There’s a bit of a Christmassy feel to it, with HOLLY, TREES, DASHER, and perhaps CHINESE LANTERNS, though probably not enough to … Read more >>
A divine offering from Paul today…
I got through about half of this one very quickly, then slowed down somewhat for the rest. An enjoyable and high-quality puzzle as we’ve come to expect from Nutmeg, so thanks to her. … Read more >>
Not as easy as Pan can be – certainly harder than her Prize puzzle a couple of weeks ago – but generally straightforward and Monday-friendly. Thanks to Pan Across 4. DOCTOR Tamper … Read more >>
A minor delay with the late arrival of the PDF on the Guardian website, and then this turned out to be quite a tricky puzzle, with quite a lot of unfamiliar words. As … Read more >>
Quite a tough one from Paul today, with some devious constructions that had me worried about whether I’d be able to explain everything. A couple of minor quibbles, but otherwise very enjoyable – … Read more >>
Boatman gives us a puzzle with a royal flavour, with lots of references to monarchs in the clues. There are also a couple of references to the North, and of his trademark self-references. … Read more >>
I found this quite easy by Philistine’s standards, though good fun as always. Thanks to Philistine. Stop press: just noticed a theme of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, with the titles of NORTHERN … Read more >>
A clever and highly enjoyable puzzle from Picaroon based around 12d, with varying interpretations of the phrase. The gateway clue is quite an easy one, but it was still fun to work out … Read more >>