Guardian 26,075 – Gordius
My second Gordius In two weeks: regular readers may be aware that he is not exactly my favourite setter, so I will just say that this is fairly typical of his style, though … Read more >>
Andrew
Guardian 26,068 – Paul
The usual good (mostly) clean fun from Paul, though with an unusually large number of double definitions. I can’t explain 14a – as always I’m probably missing something obvious … Read more >>
Guardian 26,061 – Gordius
There seems to be quite a lot a “general knowledge” required in this puzzle, with a few people, places and classical references. Apart from that, the usual Gordius offering. By popular request (aka … Read more >>
Azed 2154
Definitely one from the hard end of the Azed scale. Starting this last Sunday morning, I failed to solve more than a smattering of clues, so I put it aside and didn’t get … Read more >>
Guardian 26,054 – Chifonie
I’ve often thought that Chifonie’s straightforward style would make him a suitable setter for the “easy” Monday slot. Nothing to frighten the horses here, with the possible exception of 10a. … Read more >>
Guardian 26,052 – Orlando
As we’ve come to expect from Orlando, nothing flash, just a solid collection of high-quality clues with his understated but distinctive wit. I particularly liked the two “hidden” clues for their elegant surface … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,414 – Magwitch
I’m standing in as an FT locum for the first time, and I seem to have coincided with the debut of a new setter. Whether Magwitch is an ex-convict from whom I can … Read more >>
Guardian 26,045 – Shed
A surprisingly straightforward puzzle from Shed, with some very basic clues that wouldn’t be out of place in the Quiptic. Still, there were a couple of slightly unusual words to delay things slightly, … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 122 – Tramp
As is often the case in Genius puzzles, the special instructions were a little mysterious at first: “Seven solutions are of a kind and lack further definition. They must be suitably transformed before … Read more >>
Guardian 26,038 – Brummie
I’m sometimes a bit apprehensive when seeing Brummie’s name on a puzzle that I have to blog, but generally they turns out to be easier than they look, and so it was in … Read more >>
Guardian 26,031 – Crucible
A very nice puzzle from Crucible, the clues teeming with musical references. Not all the clues require musical knowledge, but it would certainly help in a few, and there are a couple of … Read more >>
Guardian 26,024 – Rufus
A pretty standard Rufus again, with only one of the clues giving me any difficulty, though not helped by a horrible grid with poor connectivity and cross-checking. Across … Read more >>
Azed 2148
Another high-quality set of clues in a Plain Azed – overall about middling in difficulty, I think, with nothing particularly devious this time, though I’m not entirely convinced by my explanation of 26d. … Read more >>
Guardian 26,022 – Brummie
This started off looking quite tricky, but I was lucky to guess the theme involved in the cross-references at 11a early. This let me fill in quite a lot of the grid, after … Read more >>
Guardian 26,016 – Arachne
After an unfortunately stormy week in Fifteensquaredland, what a delight to see an Arachne puzzle to restore us to normality. Perhaps not one of her hardest, but no walkover either, and with plenty … Read more >>