Eileen

I’ve been doing cryptic crosswords since university days, learning how with a group of friends in coffee breaks. The Guardian crossword has been part of my life for most of the time since. Since retiring from teaching (originally Classics and, subsequently, when that was dropped from the curriculum, mostly English and History), having serendipitously stumbled on 15², I discovered that I could get the Indy and FT puzzles online and so I now add those, when they are set by my favourite compilers. Occasionally, I try the Genius and have even submitted a few. (Some years ago, I won a Collins dictionary in the Guardian Prize lottery, which established it as my referred reference.) I don’t take note of solving times: I enjoy taking time savouring the construction and particularly the surface of clues and always feel slightly disappointed when I finish too quickly. My one regret is my complete failure to enthuse any member of my family with cryptic crosswords.

Guardian 28,134 / Paul

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It’s Paul to round off the weekday puzzles – a reasonably stiff challenge, with lots of great clues, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Many thanks, Paul. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 9 … Read more >>

Guardian 28,127 / Qaos

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I’m always pleased to see Qaos’ name on a puzzle – but there’s always the niggling worry, when I’m blogging it, that I’ll miss the theme, since he always has one. [It has … Read more >>

Guardian 28,120 / Boatman

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It’s Boatman providing the mid-week challenge on another wet morning – we’d got quite unused to those. I found this generally straightforward to solve but I need help with the parsing of 5dn. … Read more >>

Guardian 28,113 / Brummie

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It’s Brummie laying down the challenge today.     Part of the challenge with a Brummie puzzle is discovering whether there’s a theme or not. Today, it’s a fairly straightforward one of parts … Read more >>

Guardian 28097 / Puck

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My second Puck blog in a row – and I’m not complaining. We’re sadly in need of Puck’s wit and puckish playfulness just now and there’s plenty of it here – lots of … Read more >>

Guardian 28,090 / Brummie

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Brummie sets an interesting and enjoyable challenge today. Brummie’s surfaces are not always the most elegant but I thought there were some neat ones here. His puzzles often have a theme but I … Read more >>

Guardian 28,083 / Puck

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I’m always delighted to see Puck’s name on a puzzle, particularly when I’m blogging – and he’s on top form today. I was a bit daunted at the beginning, seeing two clues containing … Read more >>

Guardian 28,074 / Qaos

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It’s Qaos ending the week with a relatively gentle puzzle. Qaos’ puzzles always have a theme and, again, he’s being kind, as this one would be hard to miss. [The comment on his … Read more >>

Guardian Prize 28,063 / Puck

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‘Special instructions’ [in this case, ‘Wordplay in 15 clues lacks something crucial in one form or another’] usually make me wince slightly – and especially when I’m blogging! As it happened, I fortunately … Read more >>

Guardian 28,067 / Paul

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My apologies for the late blog: when the theme penny did finally drop, it entailed a bit of research! Paul sets today’s challenge – and a challenge it was! I woke up at … Read more >>