Andrew

After a rather contentious week, I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect for my blogging slot today, so it was quite a relief to get this fairly straightforward but enjoyable puzzle … Read more >>

A relatively straightforward Araucaria, thought including a couple of words that were new to me, with a theme based on various kinds of beating, Key: dd = double definition * = anagram < … Read more >>

Quite a gentle one today after Brendan’s toughie on Monday, and maybe it suffers in comparison to Paul’s Beatlefest yesterday, but some nice clues here, though as ever I have a couple of … Read more >>

No difficulties here, apart from the ones I made for myself by initially guessing SUBSTITUTE for 3dn. A nice gentle start to the week from Rufus. Key: dd = double definition cd = … Read more >>

I’m a bit pushed for time this morning so apologies for the rather brief comments. A mixed bag today, I thought – nothing terribly exciting, and a few cryptic definitions that I thought … Read more >>

A birthday treat for me – blogging Araucaria. Not too hard by his standards, though there were a few tricky areas and one rather obscure answer at 5dn. Key: dd = double definition … Read more >>

Boatman is a name I’m not familiar with – maybe a new addition to the Guardian stable? As a result I had no idea what to expect from this puzzle, but it turned … Read more >>

I found this harder than the average Rufus, with the SE corner (especially the 24s) causing some delays. Key: dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition * = anagram < = reverse … Read more >>

Quite a tough one from Brendan today, I thought. I was lucky to guess the two long, cleverly cross-referenced, downs early on from some crossing letters, which was a big help, but it … Read more >>

I’d only just finished Araucaria’s Saturday puzzle, which I found very hard, so I was a bit apprehensive when I saw his name again. Fortunately this one was a lot less troublesome, though … Read more >>

It’s my first day back in the office after a week-and-a-bit’s holiday, so a large backlog of emails has somewhat delayed my blogging. A lot of obscure words and references, combined with some … Read more >>

A straightforward Rufus for Bank Holiday Monday. A couple of nice cryptic definitions, and a couple more I’m not so keen on. Key: dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition * = … Read more >>

I don’t much like this grid, with its four almost-isolated corners. Luckily there were enough easyish clues in each corner to get me going, though the SE corner held me up for a … Read more >>