HolyGhost

Started on cryptic crosswords as a late teenager and completed the Times daily until the Independent started. (Didn't do the crossword - just stopped reading the Times.) Often tackled the Independent weekend magazine crossword in the early and late 1990s (spent mid-90s in Bruxelles), and then most of them since moving out of London in summer 2000. I must say that my forays into the Listener used to prove more satisfying (except the number ones) - estimate 98% successful - but usually don't have enough discretionary time for both. Now that the Listener and the Inquisitor seem pretty level I rarely stray from tackling only the latter.

Inquisitor 1122: Last One Standing by Loda

Fri April 30, 2010 at 11:25 amWed April 28, 2010 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Not that tough a crossword – many normal clues could be solved cold on the first pass through, and the theme yielded fairly quickly. But enjoyable for all that. (Was the puzzle number … Read more >>

Inquisitor 1117: 7 Down by Schadenfreude

Thu March 25, 2010 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Each across answer produces a single clash with a down answer, the latter being the grid entry. The unentered letters are one definition of 7d, which itself cryptically indicates one item in each … Read more >>

Inquisitor 1112: Shifty Characters by Phi

Thu February 25, 2010 at 10:57 pmFri February 19, 2010 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Some answers have a letter shifted before entry, and these letters spell out the name of a group. The members of the group form a number of other entries, but the answers to … Read more >>

Inquisitor 1107: Removals by Ploy

Sun February 21, 2010 at 12:01 pmFri January 15, 2010 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Jumbles of words have to be removed from nine clues before solving; these words form five items and we have to black out a symmetrical two-word phrase in the completed grid that describes … Read more >>

Inquisitor index: 2010

Tue April 8, 2025 at 12:18 pmFri January 1, 2010 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Puzzles 1107 – 1157

Inquisitor 153 – COMPOSING TWIST by Hypnos

Wed December 16, 2009 at 1:16 pmFri December 11, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Extra letters in the wordplay lead to part of a quotation and its author, from which the (eleven) unclued entries can be deduced. There are ten thematic examples, one of which corresponds to … Read more >>

Inquisitor 148 – POST-MORTEM by Dysart

Thu January 14, 2010 at 9:45 pmFri November 6, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Four unclued entries, two clued entries and one hidden name are thematically linked, and these last three have to be highlighted (16 cells). Then we have to swap two letters in the grid, … Read more >>

Inquisitor 143 – PRIMARY REFERENCE by Samuel

Thu December 17, 2009 at 11:50 amFri October 2, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Samuel’s first puzzle as an Inquisitor, but he’s a setter familiar to Listener solvers, notably with #3975 and more recently with #4038. Twelve thematic clues are of the “Definition & Letter-Mixture” sort. In … Read more >>

Inquisitor 138 – LANDED by Loda

Thu December 17, 2009 at 11:52 amFri August 28, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Back from walking in the Pyrenees – let’s hope this puzzle isn’t as controversial as #133! Three (unspecified) answers are to be modified before entry, and answers to the eight italicised clues each … Read more >>

Inquisitor 133 – ODDS AND ENDS by Tipster

Thu December 17, 2009 at 11:54 amFri July 24, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Another new blogger … and a new setter to boot – double whammy? (I’ll be walking in the Pyrenees when this should come out, so no response from me anytime soon.) The entry … Read more >>

Inquisitor index: 2009

Tue April 8, 2025 at 12:17 pmThu January 1, 2009 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Puzzles 106 – 157

Inquisitor index: 2008

Tue April 8, 2025 at 11:09 amTue January 1, 2008 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Puzzles 54 – 105

Inquisitor 22 – MMM by Schadenfreude

Fri January 8, 2010 at 5:02 pmFri June 8, 2007 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Note: This was actually posted early in January 2010. Whilst compiling an index to the Inquisitor blogs, I noticed that there was an early one missing from May-07. So here’s a highly … Read more >>

Inquisitor index: 2007

Tue April 8, 2025 at 11:09 amMon January 1, 2007 at 1:23 am by HolyGhost

Puzzles 1 – 53