Never knowingly undersolved
John A rare appearance from our editor, who has produced an enjoyable medium-difficulty crossword that must have been … (see below). There are a few terms that were new to me and not evidently … Read more >>
So far as I can see this is the first time that I’ve blogged a Wire, who has often appeared on Saturdays, which I don’t do. But it was a pleasant experience: some … Read more >>
Quite a struggle for me today, and there are various answers that I don’t really understand. Many of the clues are very nice, but it looks to me that they call on knowledge … Read more >>
As efficient a job as one always expects from Phi. Nearly all the answers can be explained simply in one expression, and where I’ve been longer it’s only really because I wanted to … Read more >>
This is the first I’ve heard of Atrica, who doesn’t seem to have appeared before in the Indy. The debut was successful: several gentle clues soundly and pleasantly executed. When I saw that … Read more >>
Long gone seem to be the days when Wednesday was comparatively gentle, with Dac’s excellent but not all that demanding offerings every week. The last two Wednesdays that I’ve blogged have been rather … Read more >>
This really set me back and I spent ages on it, eventually giving up and using aids. But as always of course with Serpent it is pretty good. I have no excuses but … Read more >>
As always with Phi everything (apart from one very slight doubt at 9dn) is utterly sound and pleasant to solve: he has the ability to make a clue apparently intractable, and then when … Read more >>
Punk knows well how to adjust his difficulty, because when he becomes Mudd in the FT he is more accessible whereas in his Indy form he is often rather difficult, as here. But no complaints: there were as you’d expect plenty of good clues and it was evidently all sound. My occasional failures of understanding will I trust be explained.
Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.
The last Filbert, about a month ago, was also on a Wednesday and I had the pleasure of blogging that as well. I commented on how it was harder than we have come to expect from Wednesdays and this one was no different, which is not to denigrate it: perhaps policy has changed. Apart from the incomprehensible 27ac I thought this was an excellent crossword (and no doubt when someone explains how 27ac works there will be no exceptions), and the fact that I failed eventually on 11ac (and stupidly on 8dn) was my own fault.
Definitions in maroon, underlined. Anagram indicators in italics.
I’ve blogged a puzzle by Loglady once before, in March of this year, when I was generally pretty favourable towards it. This puzzle has given me no reason to change my mind. There are plenty of very nice clues, including some clever &lits. Not at all easy, but most enjoyable.
Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.
These clues that refer to other ones are a bit annoying at first, because it means that certain clues are initially insoluble, but here it was so slight and so well done that it didn’t really matter. I found this to be a typically pleasant example of Phi’s oeuvre, back on Friday as has been customary after some wandering that I could never really explain.
Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.
An enjoyable crossword from Wiglaf: nothing very controversial so far as I can see, and it was neither too easy nor impossibly difficult. Some good clues.
Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.
Quite a tough crossword from Filbert today I thought — especially so for the usually quite gentle Wednesday — but well worth it. A mass of excellent clues and nothing that struck me as particularly questionable, apart from 15ac and 11dn, which are in any case only slight carps.
Definitions underlined in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.
My goodness that was hard work. My time was off the scale and it would be embarrassing to reveal it. But the crossword was all good — indeed very good — and I got there in the end, not at the time being able to parse 7dn but coping with it later. All the clues are sound (so far as I can see) and there are some very clever devices used.
Definitions underlined, in maroon. Anagram indicators in italics.