Inquisitor #8/Overcooked by Charybdis
This was a very frustrating puzzle for me. It appeared very easy at first, but then I hit a wall with the last six or seven clues. It wasn’t that I couldn’t work … Read more >>
loonapick
Guardian 24,011/Gordius – very difficult for a Tuesday
Apologies for the lateness of this entry, but I had technical problems earlier today, and have since had to sit through a mind-numbing Property Strategy meeting for a couple of hours. The delay … Read more >>
Azed 1812 – My first Azed blog, and just relieved to have finished the puzzle…
My first Azed blog, and I kinda left it to the last minute to start solving it (ie last night), but I got there in the end. Typical Azed puzzle, full of obscure … Read more >>
Guardian 24,008/Orlando – took longer to blog than to solve
Not quite sure how to summarise this puzzle. It was fairly easy, even if some of the references and definitions are not immediately obvious, and, for the most part, the clues made sense. … Read more >>
Inquisitor #6/Military Marches by Kruger
If I had looked up Kruger’s bio before tackling this puzzle, I may have saved myself some time, as he has listed among his hobbies long-distance walking. The title of the puzzle had … Read more >>
Guardian 24,001/Gordius – I really must get round to swallowing a dictionary…
A preliminary scan through the clues had me worried, as I only got a couple on first reading. It eventually took me at least 30 minutes, probably longer, to complete this, and I … Read more >>
Independent 6,337/Dac
This was a gentle introduction to a Wednesday, mainly because I was able to solve the four longer entries very quickly, thus giving me lots of checked letters. Solving time – about 10 … Read more >>
Guardian 23,993/Shed – Am I homophonic?
If I was asked what type of clues I’d like to see outlawed, it would definitely be homophones. There is an outrageous (in my opinion at least) example of this at 8dn, unless … Read more >>
Inquisitor #4 – Venus de Milo by Schadenfreude
Once I worked out the theme of this crossword, I rattled through it at a fair rate of knots, and completed all bar 4 clues in about half an hour. Then I got … Read more >>
Guardian 23,986/Rufus – Typical Monday fare
It’s Monday, so it must be Rufus. His puzzles are generally very easy (8 minutes to solve today’s), and this is mainly because his clues are not always terribly cryptic, and his definitions … Read more >>
Guardian 23,984/Chifonie – inspired by beached containers??
My first entry to this blog related to a Chifonie puzzle, so my heart sank at first when I saw that I would be solving another one today. However, this one is a … Read more >>
Independent 6,321/Phi – nice ‘n’ easy does it
This is my first blog entry for a daily Independent crossword, and I got a nice gentle introduction. This was a comparatively easy crossword (10 minutes to solve) with solid clueing and a … Read more >>
Inquisitor #2 – ALTERNATIVES by PLOY
I have never come across the pseudonym Ploy before, so I don’t know who compiled this highly topical puzzle. I got off to a very quick start, realising that certain squares had two … Read more >>
Guardian 23,976 – Guess the Setter?
For early birds, the online version of today’s puzzle provided the solver with a challenge – “Guess the Setter”. The setter’s name didn’t appear in the crossword heading, however it did appear in … Read more >>
Guardian 23,970/Rover
Rover has presented us with a good mix of clues, many of which use clever wordplay. I solved this crossword very quickly (less than five minutes), but didn’t always know at first reading … Read more >>