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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 No. 1340: What It Says on the Tin by Gaston

Sun August 5, 2018 at 6:55 amSat August 4, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

For those who didn’t see my blog last month, you didn’t miss much. It described the abject failure I had with Sadly Lacking by Ranunculus. I didn’t major in Happy Families… and I … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 4 Comments

Enigmatic Variations No. 1336: Sadly Lacking by Ranunculus

Sat July 7, 2018 at 6:10 amSat July 7, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

The preamble, followed by a confession: In nine clues the definition contains an extra letter which must be removed before solving. In clue order, these letters, together with the solutions to these clues, … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 5 Comments

Enigmatic Variations No. 1332: Making Ends Meet by Artix

Sat June 9, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

In MAKING ENDS MEET, each clue is a pair, leading (in either order) to two six-letter answers which share a letter in the grey cell; this shared letter is not given by wordplay. … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 1 Comment

Enigmatic Variations No. 1328: A Major Deception by Ploy

Sat May 12, 2018 at 8:00 am by Shenanigans

This week, I had a preamble that told me that I probably didn’t have too much to worry about clue-wise: A single word must be removed from three answers on entry into the … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1324: Media Culpa by Wickball

Fri June 8, 2018 at 7:41 pmSat April 14, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

I was half expecting an April Fools’ Day theme today. (If you’re reading this blog some way in the future, this puzzle was published on 1st April.) I wasn’t 100% sure that it … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1320: Keith by Opsimath

Sat March 17, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A delightfully short preamble this week: In KEITH, solvers must complete the unclued row (13, four words), and then highlight the symmetrically placed six-letter surnames of four people most closely associated with the … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 1 Comment

Enigmatic Variations No. 1316: Necessary Exposure by Oxymoron

Sat February 17, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A fairly short preamble this week, and no special clue types. An easy week for me… NOT! In NECESSARY EXPOSURE, 15 answers are entered normally; all other answers must be partially treated before … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1312: Ranting by Shark

Sat January 20, 2018 at 5:39 amSat January 20, 2018 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A fairly simple preamble greeted us this week: In RANTING, eight answers must be altered thematically on entry; clues to these answers consist of a definition for the answer, and wordplay leading to … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1308: Fitting by MynoT

Sat December 23, 2017 at 10:21 amSat December 23, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

I had the dubious honour of blogging MynoT’s last EV, No 1280 Occasional Item of Furniture which required all answers to be encoded using the element numbers from the periodic table. I hoped … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1304: Eye & Nose by Artix

Sat November 25, 2017 at 9:00 am by Shenanigans

This weekend, I have two Artix puzzles to blog. The first is over at Listen With Others, Follow the Directions and has Charles Kingsley’s Westward Ho as its theme. Unusually for Artix, the … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 1 Comment

Enigmatic Variations No. 1300: Those Responsible by Samuel

Sat October 28, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

A puzzle by our Editor this week, starting with the preamble: Answers to 17 clues are too short for the allowed space, and must be entered leaving one or more cells empty; solvers … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 5 Comments

Enigmatic Variations No. 1296: Disappearances by proXimal

Sat September 30, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

This week, there were no misprints or extra/missing wordplay letters, just clashes to identify. The preamble read: Ten thematic types linked to 5 down are formed in cells where entries clash; in all … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 1 Comment

Enigmatic Variations No. 1292: Yackety-Yack by The Ace of Hearts

Sat September 2, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

It didn’t seem that there would be anything too taxing this week: In YACKETY-YACK, from the answer to each clue a letter must be deleted wherever it appears before entry into the grid; … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations

Enigmatic Variations No. 1288: The Bigger Picture by Elgar (Updated)

Sat August 5, 2017 at 9:47 pmSat August 5, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

I’d been asked a couple of times during July “Are you blogging the EV the day after the Inquisitor No. 1500 celebrations?” “Yes,” said I. “Oh dear!” said they, “It’s a tough one.” … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 7 Comments

Enigmatic Variations No. 1284: Team by Chalicea

Sat July 8, 2017 at 7:55 pmSat July 8, 2017 at 12:00 am by Shenanigans

After my last EV slog blog (Mynot’s atomic numbers), hopefully an easier week with Chalicea. The preamble was straightforward, so all boded well: In TEAM, 20ac (two words) in the 27ac was the … Read more >>

Categories Enigmatic Variations 2 Comments
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