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 27,327 / Enigmatist

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Simon S gave us advance warning of this puzzle in his comment on Sunday’s Everyman blog – enough to strike terror in the heart of any blogger! This afternoon, John Henderson, Enigmatist is … Read more >>

Guardian 27,320 / Paul

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  Some rather 1dn cluing from Paul this morning, making for an enjoyable challenge, with several smiles along the way. Thanks, Paul. Definitions are underlined in the clues.   Across 1 Work in … Read more >>

Guardian 27,313 / Chifonie

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As with Rufus puzzles, it’s difficult to find anything new to say about Chifonie’s. They can usually be relied on to be straightforward, a medley of anagrams, charades and double definitions, all soundly … Read more >>

Guardian 27,306 / Vlad

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An absorbing challenge from Vlad today – certainly one to get one’s teeth into and to get the brain in gear. There were enough devilish constructions, cleverly hidden definitions and witty surfaces to … Read more >>

Guardian Prize 27,298 / Crucible

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This is the third Crucible puzzle on the theme of the evening’s event that I have blogged – and I’m certainly not complaining. Three years ago, Crucible clued LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS … Read more >>

Guardian 27,299 / Rufus

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It’s Monday and it’s Rufus, which will gladden many people’s hearts and no doubt ruffle others’ feathers. Chacun à son goût. Rufus offers a fairly typical genial medley of double and cryptic definitions, … Read more >>

Guardian 27,297 / Puck

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A lovely treat to end the weekday series – a Puck puzzle! Lots of well-constructed clues with sparklingly witty surfaces, as ever from this setter. Spurred by the references to the PM, I’ve … Read more >>

Guardian 27,294 / Paul

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  It’s unusual to see a Paul puzzle so early in the week and I wondered whether there was an anniversary connected with the theme but I couldn’t find anything. As I scanned … Read more >>

Guardian 27,290 / Paul

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A fun puzzle from Paul, proving that he can raise a smile or two and still be squeaky-clean. Some ingenious wordplay in the clues, causing a couple of minor hold-ups in the parsing … Read more >>

Guardian 27,276 / Shed

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  This is my fourth Shed blog in a row – but I’m not complaining. His appearances are getting steadily more regular, which has to be good news. It has been generally agreed … Read more >>

Guardian 27,267 / Imogen

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Imogen’s puzzles usually present something of a challenge and this was no exception, not helped by my having minimal knowledge of or interest in the theme. Nevertheless, I eventually enjoyed teasing out the … Read more >>