Independent 9464 (Sat 11-Feb 2017) Nestor
This was a puzzle where the “All Reversed” method was used in the wordplay many more times than usual. Not that I noticed till writing the blog. I’m certainly happy to see Nestor’s … Read more >>
beermagnet
Private Eye/Cyclops 591 Repress Science
Cyclops is giving us a very bleak analysis of the state of the world with a Trump heavy set of clues However the puzzle itself proved to be one of the quickest solves … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 589 Xmas Pseudding
It’s Christmas! So it’s the giant 21×21 sized Eye crossword with some special feature. This puzzle has a preamble: Running clockwise around the shaded squares, starting top left, are two sentences from a 2016 … Read more >>
Independent 9434 (Sat 7-Jan 2017) Serpent
The blogging cycle brings me Serpent again which is no bad thing. Serpent has brought some innovation to the puzzles done so far both in terms of themes and clueing, and the same … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 587 Offstage epiphany
Not the trickiest of solves this time, and as usual full of topical references. There were still a few that I struggled over such as WRAITH and PARALYSE so a nice one. Across 6 … Read more >>
Independent 9404 by Serpent
Sorry for the late delivery of this blog. Completely forgot it was my turn. I will have to work out how to wire my smoke alarm to the calendar alerts. We may be … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 585 Difficult Woman
A puzzle centred on the phrase “Bloody difficult woman”. Ken Clarke’s observation <link> which was caught on mic during this summer’s Tory leadership non-election. I imagine as soon as the story broke Cyclops delighting in using … Read more >>
Independent Crossword 9374 by Tyrus
The blogging cycle turned and delivered me Tyrus again which was great because I knew I would enjoy it, and also have a chance of completing it without causing too much grief. If … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 583 Badass Worthy
It’s Private Eye. It’s Brummie. You get what you expect. A middlingly difficult puzzle. Half in after the first pass and nothing that didn’t submit after a bunch of crossing letters were in. … Read more >>
Independent Crossword 9344 by Knut
Good morning everyone. I hope it’s still morning. Yet again I find myself apologising for a late blog. Woke up this morning to a beautiful day. Sun was shining. Birds were singing. I … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 581 Blissful Shrink
Another mid range Eye puzzle in terms of trickiness. Ten answered after the first pass, thus nearly half the grid filled. Bottom right corner holding out till last but even the very last … Read more >>
Indy 9314 Klingsor
Apart from the hard nuts (Anax and Nimrod) evidence is accumulating that since the Saturday puzzle stopped being a Prize puzzle the level of difficulty has gone down a bit. Which is fine by me as … Read more >>
Private Eye (Cyclops/578) Blasphemous legislation
First of all apologies from all for the extreme lateness of this blog. I have knocked this blog together at lunchtime after finding that no blog appeared on Monday and that jetdoc was … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 577 Inhumanity News
I know by now I am very familiar with Cyclops’ style etc. but this must’ve been my shortest solve for any Private Eye puzzle, ever. I made a few notes as I was solving too, and … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 575 Summit Sorrow
A Cyclops puzzle that I found slightly tougher on the journey through solving but which was somehow completed all of a sudden. I only got about 10 answers in on the first pass, … Read more >>