Cineraria

Born in 1963, I began with crosswords as a little boy by “helping” my grandfather with the puzzle in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I have done American-style crosswords since I was a teenager, and I enjoy many other types of word puzzles, including cryptograms and acrostics. I cannot remember when I discovered cryptic crosswords. I used to do the Guardian puzzle every day, but being a lawyer by profession does not leave me a lot of time to indulge my deliberate yet desultory solving method. I have been doing the Guardian Prize every Friday and the Azed every Saturday since 2020, and the Genius every month since 2018 (typically succeeding, but admittedly with some DNFs). I was even gratified to be a Genius winner a few years ago. I have learned an awful lot from studying the post-mortems on fifteensquared. As for other interests, I have a large collection of origami books, and I like folding the most complicated models I can find.

Special to York S&B by Wickball

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This is a very nice puzzle–not too hard, but with a bit of an extra challenge regarding the unclued apparatus.

The special instructions read as follows: Six clues contain an extra word, each defining one of the thematic perimeter answers (one being 2 words) which are to be entered clockwise where they will fit. 1A and 1D define the theme. Wickball also comments: Barred but easier than IQ or EV.

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Financial Times 17,210 by MOO

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Thanks to MOO.  As ever, I look forward to the comments. Unless I missed some wordplay, this puzzle leaned heavily into cryptic definitions. ACROSS 1 GRANDPA Relative seen in August each year (7) … Read more >>

Financial Times 17,192 by BOBCAT

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Well, I found this rather hard sledding, for some reason, with a variety of elaborate constructions on some clues, and a couple of inventive surprises, mentioned below, but overall an enjoyable challenge nonetheless. I am not sure that I quite explained 6D. Note the ninas TAILS and CLAWS down around the center column; is this a Bobcat trademark? (I am a newbie on the FT scene.) As always, I welcome comments and elucidations.

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