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Shenanigans

I have been doing The Listener crossword on and off (mainly off) since I was about 16. I am now slightly older, and finally have a lot of time on my hands to devote to this beauty and others like it. In its honour, I created the Crossword Database, which you can get to from the Fifteensquared Links page. I try and complete The Listener, Inquisitor and Enigmatic Variations every week, with about a 90% success rate (which translates into a 0.1% prize rate). I treat all these puzzles like treasure hunts where, well not to put too fine a point on it, anything goes in trying to get to the elusive pot of gold … except of course asking someone else. I have no qualms about using Bradford's or Chambers Crossword Dictionaries or about Googling whatever seems appropriate. On the non-crosswording front I play golf and tinker with computery stuff. I grew up with William Hartnell's Doctor Who and Monty Python, but feel at home in the 21st century with Matt Smith's Doctor, Little Britain and the League of Gentlemen.

Enigmatic Variations 880: Revelations by Kcit

September 26, 2009 at 7:03 amSeptember 26, 2009 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

Luckily for me, a fairly straightforward offering from Kcit this week. I got back from golfing hols on Sunday, and everything has bunched up nicely, including some crosswords that need solving and blogging … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 2 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 877: Adjustments by Rustic

September 5, 2009 at 8:02 amSeptember 5, 2009 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

A quick comment that I’m glad I didn’t have last weeks blog, What You’ve Got to Do by Syd Lexis; it looks like I made a complete Horlicks of the final step! Luckily, … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 4 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 874: Arthur by Oxymoron

August 14, 2009 at 7:00 am by Shenanigans

A nice short preamble: five answers have one letter added or removed and then arranged for entry. The lengths for these clues refer to the answer, rather than entry, lengths, so they are … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 871: Needs by Charybdis

July 24, 2009 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

A puzzle from one of my favourite setters (with another one from him in this week’s Listener as well). A quick read of the preamble and ‘Oh my giddy aunt’!! What on earth … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 6 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 868: Excellent! I Cried by Jophu

July 3, 2009 at 8:50 am by Shenanigans

Nineteen normal clues, with the rest needing one or two added or subtracted letters; that sounded a bit tricky. It proved to be a tougher puzzle than most EVs recently. The NE corner … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 2 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 865: One Type of 46 by Glow-worm

June 12, 2009 at 10:14 amJune 12, 2009 at 8:39 am by Shenanigans

Initial surprise that the solution to EV862 (which I blogged and submitted) received no correct entry by the closing date!! This was obviously a mistake, with the normal lucky-winner-picker being off sick or … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 4 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 862: Secret Tribute by Hypnos

May 22, 2009 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

Quite a bit going on in this puzzle: a ‘secret’ figure to be discovered from unclued entries, three works to be deduced, two determining how two sets of clues are to be entered, … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 8 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 859: Hidden Hints by Piccadilly

May 1, 2009 at 9:52 amMay 1, 2009 at 7:00 am by Shenanigans

Four 6×6 squares had to be filled with answers from unnumbered clues. The four mini grids could then be positioned according to four hints hidden in the completed grid. According to the Solving … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 856: Area of Doubt by Jaques

April 10, 2009 at 8:00 am by Shenanigans

In this one, clues were of two types: Position clues, where the clues were numbered but required entry cyclically (ie starting anywhere in the entry space), and Momentum clues which were unnumbered but … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 853: Deepest Affections by Kruger

March 20, 2009 at 7:00 am by Shenanigans

Clues were given in alphabetical order and had to be entered where they would fit in the grid. When arranged in convetional order the initial letters would give instructions, and you then had … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 850: Bells by Gioconda

February 27, 2009 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

Subsidiary indications in 32 clues lead to extra letters which spell out a novel and its author. The remaining ten clues lack definitions and, either alone or paired, are thematic. 22A is a … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 847: Fields of Action by Dysart

February 9, 2009 at 8:30 amFebruary 6, 2009 at 7:00 am by Shenanigans

The grid represents some “fields of action”, and so long as they’re not football or rugby fields I should be OK. The subsidiary indication in each down clue has an extra letter; these … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 6 Comments

Enigmatic Variations 844 (4th Jan): A Bit on the Side by Glow-worm

January 16, 2009 at 10:20 amJanuary 16, 2009 at 7:00 am by Shenanigans

No EV last week, it got bumped by a £500 Cryptic (I bet that had a few entries). However, the number still got used, so it’s onwards to 844 this week. The EV … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 840: Late by MynoT

December 13, 2008 at 1:49 amDecember 12, 2008 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

I don’t know whether I feel relieved that the first two puzzles I’ve blogged have been so easy, or cheated out of a few hours entertainment. I know that the EV is generally … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations 837: Hobson’s Choice by Syd Lexis

November 21, 2008 at 6:00 am by Shenanigans

Being a natural pessimist, I had visions that my first blog would end up being for a puzzle by Dimitry, Kea or Oxymoron (Schadenfreude’s EV pseudonym), so seeing it was by Syd Lexis … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations
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