Financial Times 12629 by Flimsy
I don’t normally blog the FT but as it was the only free newspaper with a decent crossword available on the Heathrow to Newcastle flight yesterday I gave it a go. At the … Read more >>
Colin Blackburn
Inquisitor 46, Royalty by Lato
By the time you read this I should be at the top of Manau Kea in Hawaii. Unless I turn out to get altitude sickness in which case I’ll be in a bar … Read more >>
Azed 1850
Like Jane last week I found this Azed relatively straightforward. It had the usual mix of obscure answers, obscure elements in the wordplay and tricky devices but it was scrupulously fair and so … Read more >>
Independent 6577/Dac
This one will have to be quick, so here goes… Across 1 CAPACITY — P.A. in CA CITY — Ca = California. 10 MARINE BIOLOGIST — cryptic def. — main = ocean. 12 … Read more >>
Independent 6570/Virgilius — pull the other one.
The theme for today’s Virgilius is lies, tall tales and shaggy dog stories. All the across answers are thematic and with the constraints imposed on the grid by the long themed answers there … Read more >>
Independent 6565/Dac — a river runs through it.
Usual high quality fare from Dac: excellent surfaces, good clear wordplay, and at least one I have failed to get. Across 1 FLIGHT CREW — F+LIGHT+CREW(e) — “Those serving in air” is an … Read more >>
Independent 6555/Phi
I rattled through this puzzle but fell at the final hurdle, well as 24ac and 17dn. Across 5 PAYSLIP — PAYS + LIP — pays is French for country. 9 DOUBLE-BARRELLED — DOUBLE … Read more >>
Independent 6549/Phi
Excellent stuff from Phi. I’m lost on the last one across though. Across 1/10 THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE — double def. — the cryptic definition of the two refers to … Read more >>
Independent 6540\Virgilius
Virgilius’s theme today was just a little obvious, a mirror-symmetric grid with greyed-out rugby goal posts in the middle. Yes, it’s the Badminton Horse Trials…no, of course not, it’s the Rugby World Cup … Read more >>
Azed 1843
A possibly error-free Azed! The usual mix of obscure words in both the grid and word play, some unusual devices and some great surfaces added up to a typically enjoyable Azed plain puzzle. … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 51/Doc — EMPLOY
The theme required solutions to be adapted before entry but said nothing of the clues. Noticing that the answer lengths were one or two less than the grid lengths this suggested some addition … Read more >>
Independent 6535/Dac
Some of the surface readings in this puzzle were truly superb, 1 down shone out. I was beaten by 8 down and Dac has been beaten by 25 down which has two possible … Read more >>
Independent 6530/Nimrod
A mixed bag for me today. A couple of non-dictionary phrases for a start, an answer I simply can’t get and some word play that I just don’t follow. There were some clever … Read more >>
Independent 6528/Virgilius
A typically good Virgilius puzzle with a few tough clues. I made one significant error early on which left me flummoxed over the last two entries. Across 7 TICKET COLLECTOR — double def. … Read more >>
Independent 6523/Dac
A quickish pleasurable solve with a couple of tricky clues and new words (for me). Once I’d found some of his well-hidden definitions, Dac’s cluing left no doubts for even the toughest of … Read more >>