Never knowingly undersolved
mc_rapper67 A nice ‘straightforward’ puzzle here from Monk, with no obvious thematic links or complications, but some lovely surface readings, especially the two long across clues. I originally found myself wondering if this was ‘difficult’ enough … Read more >>
A cryptic title, hinting maybe at Columbo, with his dour demeanour and down-at-heel dress sense? The preamble tells us to find a horizontally-symmetrical four word quotation, and twelve answers needing some sort of adjustment … Read more >>
Nothing fancy (that I could see, anyway) from Anax here, in terms of thematics, ninas, etc. – which is quite rare in a Saturday prize Indy, recently. Just a nice, enjoyable cryptic workout. There … Read more >>
Food for thought this week, with SARNIES on the menu from Syd Lexis. Not much else to chew on for starters – with an unnumbered and only partially-barred grid…but at least Across and Down … Read more >>
What delights does Warbler have in store for us with A TRIP OUT? A magical mystery tour? A druggy ‘trip’? Or maybe a wildlife safari – is that ‘OUT’ an anagrind, with TAPIR as A … Read more >>
What the Hell?! I know it is a Nimrod, but I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition!… A veritable tour-de-force from a master of the dark arts of cruciverbalism…a multi-layered thematic (and anniversarial?) puzzle to fry the mind, … Read more >>
In a blaze of publicity, celebration, and razz-a-ma-tazz, the likes of which have not been seen since the Y2K celebrations of 1999/2000, the EV series has reached its own millennial milestone…congratulations to all … Read more >>
A pleasant puzzle to round the year off – with a number of clue readings and answers nodding respectfully to the date, and a lovely clue at 18D, which I am considering adopting … Read more >>
A shorter (and less complicated!) preamble than some recent EVs – each clue giving an extra letter, which would spell out an instruction to apply to all answers before entry. I was lucky enough … Read more >>
Six pairs of linked clues, all with a common reference to ’20 in 5’…we’re off into thematic territory – and there is something here that rings a bell… The logical thing to do … Read more >>
For a long while, the ‘gap’ causing the most problems for me with this puzzle was the one between my ears… I can just about get my head round those ‘alphabetical jigsaws’, like … Read more >>
This was just a masterpiece of a straight good-old fashioned cryptic crossword puzzle – no themes, ninas, linked clues – just some wonderful surface readings, diversions, and plenty of self-contained ‘stories within clues’. … Read more >>
This was a rather fun, um, ‘probléme’ to solve, and I can only say, erm, ‘bon mots’ about it. The preamble refers to six thematic, undefined answers which, combined with a quotation made up … Read more >>
The preamble refers to a quotation which links the three unclued entries – indicating one as being a choice between the other two. The speaker is hidden in the grid, and extra letters … Read more >>
No fancy themes or ninas/Ninas from Bannsider this week (or, at least, none that I could see) – just an enjoyable mental work-out for a Saturday morning – and a bit of Saturday … Read more >>