ilancaron

Ran into several problems here with unfamiliar definitions requiring a bit of research, 10A still available… Also feels like a theme here but I can’t quite put my finger on it: e.g. several … Read more >>

Pretty good offering from Rufus: quite a few clues with a surprising twist in the surface. And not a cryptic definition in sight (OK, not many). Across 1 LUCIFER – two meanings: a … Read more >>

Some tough stuff here that had me using Chambers (not something I like to do on a Friday morning getting ready for work but I tend to have a bit more time). Bit … Read more >>

This was a mix of accessible and impossible without wikipedia: unless you’re a Blake scholar, I had to reread “Jerusalem” to make head or tail. I’m also stymied by 13A which is unrelated … Read more >>

A clever &lit and near &lit or two made this a pleasant pastime to enjoy alone. As it were. Especially, 16D. Although there’s the obligatory Britclue which escapes me (13A). Across 1 TRANCE … Read more >>

I like Orlando’s clean and precise cluing style — in this case, several instances of cheeky definitions probably deserving of a questionable indicator and more than one of working the answer out from … Read more >>

Somewhat patchy Rufus — some doubtful cryptic definitions but elsewhere some clever misdirections. I’m writing this up through the fog of a migraine so no promises as to quality. In retrospect, I wonder … Read more >>

The only HELMSLEY I know is the very wealthy NYC socialite Leona who I think recently died and was not well-loved in America. Well, I didn’t actually know her. Across 1 S,CO,USER – … Read more >>

NEW AGE TRAVELLER required some wiki-trawling — other than that, I find this puzzle to be a reasonable thing to do while listening to a talk about bid optimizations in internet advertising (which … Read more >>

Somehow I was on an Araucarian wavelength today which is unusual for me. But nonetheless I was very grateful in a couple of places for wordplay since the definition was beyond me, e.g. … Read more >>

This was hard work – with some answers really belonging in an advanced weekend puzzle — I found myself pulling out Chambers more than zero times, which is too many for a daily. … Read more >>

Rufus at his finest: an excellent set of misleading and satisfying cryptic definitions and some devious wordplay as well. As per usual Rufus’s surfaces are coherent, sensible and, as a result, often hard … Read more >>

A couple of unfamiliar words had me scurrying to the dictionary, e.g. PSITTACOSIS and I’m still not sure about a wordplay or two. Par for the course. Updated based on comments. Across 1 … Read more >>