Agentzero

An American and a New Yorker, I learned to solve cryptic crosswords by working my way through Emily Cox's and Henry Rathvon's monthly puzzles in the Atlantic. Good cryptics are scarce in America, so eventually a growing appetite drove me to attempt the puzzles in the British broadsheets. I initially found them bewildering, but persistence, recourse to the learned bloggers and commenters on this website, and a stint working in London (which taught me such useful things as the meaning of "leg before wicket") helped immensely. Nonetheless, I am still invariably thrown by homophones that depend on the non-pronunciation of the letter "r". I am a regular solver of the daily and Saturday FT and Guardian puzzles, but completing an Azed puzzle is still very much in the realm of aspiration for me.

Financial Times 13,700 / Armonie

June 2, 2011 at 3:25 pmJune 2, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

Monday Prize Crossword from May 23 My last blog! I am pleased that it is Armonie, who has always been one of my favourites. I have always liked his blend of economy and … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,694 / Dante

May 27, 2011 at 3:07 pmMay 26, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

Monday Prize Crossword from May 16 Apologies for the late posting. Unusually for Dante, I thought the best clues here were some of the anagrams, e.g. 19 across, rather than the cd’s. I … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,688 / Crux

May 19, 2011 at 3:22 amMay 19, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

Monday Prize Crossword from the FT of Monday May 9 Typically clever stuff from Crux. However, I’m not sure I have all of the wordplay in 16 down. Across 1 BUCHAREST *(A BUTCHER’S) 6 … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,682 / Dante

May 12, 2011 at 12:10 am by Agentzero

FT Monday Prize Crossword from 2 May 2011 A fairly typical Dante, althoughto me the cd’s were not as clever and surprising as they often are. Across 1 TORE DOWN *(DON WROTE) 5 … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,676 / Falcon

May 5, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

FT Monday Prize Crossword of 25 April 2011 Pretty straightforward, but the clues were concise and pleasing. 13 down was a new word for me, which I had to guess at by playing … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,671 / Dante

April 28, 2011 at 12:10 am by Agentzero

Monday Prize Crossword from 18 April 2011 Not as many cd’s and dd’s as we have been accustomed to seeing in a Dante puzzle. Of these, I liked 11 across the best. Across … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,665 / Crux

April 20, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

FT Prize Puzzle from Monday April 11 This blog is appearing one day earlier than usual, since the puzzle indicated that solutions were due by Tuesday (rather than the usual Wednesday), April 19. … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,659 / Dante

April 15, 2011 at 4:41 am by Agentzero

Prize Puzzle from the Monday April 4 FT If you like cryptic definitions, there are some sterling examples here. I particularly liked 14 down; 27 across and 11 across were also pleasing. Across … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,653 / Mudd

April 7, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

FT Prize Puzzle of Monday March 28 Good wordplay here, with some well-disguised definitions (16 across, 31 across). Nothing too hard, although it took me a while to spot the wordplay in clues … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,647 / Dante

April 1, 2011 at 12:49 am by Agentzero

FT Prize Puzzle of Monday March 21 Apologies to all; I lost track of time and have posted late by one day. This was a classic Dante/Rufus; the CDs are the best clues … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,641 / Crux

March 24, 2011 at 5:30 amMarch 24, 2011 at 12:15 am by Agentzero

Prize Puzzle from the Monday March 14 FT This was a treat. If you missed this last week, go back and give it a go (without peeking below, of course). There’s plenty of … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,648 / Gurney

March 22, 2011 at 3:44 am by Agentzero

A fairly easy puzzle today frrom Gurney. No special comments; the clues I liked best were the simplest ones, e.g. 31 across, perhaps because the surfaces of some of the others felt a … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,635 / Dante

March 17, 2011 at 12:10 am by Agentzero

FT Prize Puzzle of Monday March 7 A very enjoyable puzzle, with a number of simple but elegant — or should I say simple therefore elegant? — clues. I have in mind, among others, … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,642 / Armonie

March 15, 2011 at 3:25 am by Agentzero

Not a lot of time to blog today, so I don’t have many comments to make. As always, Armonie’s impeccable clues are incredibly concise, averaging just under five words apiece. Armonie, thanks for … Read more >>

Financial Times 13,629 / Falcon

March 10, 2011 at 12:10 am by Agentzero

Prize Puzzle from the Monday February 28 Financial Times Falcon’s clues today were all cleanly written; many had particularly clever or smooth surfaces (11 across, 13 across), but some were a bit odd (28 … Read more >>