Bertandjoyce

There was a tradition in both our families of solving Telegraph concise and cryptic crosswords. During our student days we moved on to the Observer. When we could afford a daily, we enjoyed the Guardian cryptics until the Indy arrived on the scene. Nowadays, Saturdays are not complete without the Inquisitor in the i paper. We never time ourselves but we do feel cheated if we finish quickly and really enjoy seeking out themes and ninas etc. We are now retired and when time allows, we supplement the daily Indy solve with the on-line Guardian cryptic, Genius and the occasional Quiptic. Finding fifteensquared was a revelation – we realised we are not alone in our attempts to stave off Alzheimer’s!

Independent 8485 / Hypnos

by

The last crossword before Christmas Day so perhaps not too surprisingly, three of the clues refer to ‘seasonal songs’! The three thematic entries are however a rather intriguing selection. There are also (possibly unintended?) … Read more >>

Independent 8480 / Dac

by

Another Wednesday, another Dac. Lovely surfaces, good clueing, what more can you say? Well, actually there is something! We’re not happy about 17d – there seems to be a misplaced apostrophe! Across 1 … Read more >>

Independent 8475 / Punk

by

When we saw that it is Punk today, we knew we were in for an enjoyable challenge – and we weren’t disappointed. We were slightly surprised that several of the clues – particularly the … Read more >>

Independent 8470 / Phi

by

Another Phi-day or Friday and another puzzle with no complaints, as far as we are concerned, apart from 12d. There were a few obscure words in the completed grid which left us wondering! … Read more >>

Independent 8446 / Phi

by

It’s Phiday again! We always look forward to blogging Phi’s Friday offerings, but unfortunately we didn’t enjoy this one as much as we had hoped. We can’t quite put a finger on the … Read more >>