Andrew

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 >>

Yet another very enjoyable offering from Araucaria. I got 25/26ac immediately and the various types of pear followed quickly. Several clues involved bits of what is perhaps slightly obscure general knowledge (e.g. 18ac, … Read more >>

Apologies for a brief and slightly belated blog. A nice theme involving various hominids, starting with the first three across clues. I needed to look up a few of the synonyms to check … Read more >>

Paul’s name always tells us that the puzzle will be tough but fun, and so it was with this one. It looked particularly daunting at first with some long answers and lots of … Read more >>

A straightforward and enjoyable offering from Rufus to start the week. Some nice clues, and fewer cryptic definitions than usual, I think. Key: dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition * = … Read more >>