NealH

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def This was a puzzle of two halves for me. I flew through the left side of the grid but struggled for a while to get going with … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def My initial thought on seeing this puzzle was that the theme would be something like the Taming of the Shrew, so I set off with a mental … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def I found this a nicely balanced puzzle, challenging without being too difficult and having a good mix of clues. Across 1 Requiescat: (quiet acres)* – quite a … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def An enjoyable puzzle with nothing too difficult or controversial. I couldn’t see any obvious NINA. Across 9 Orchestra: I think this is just a CD relating to … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def The combination of cryptic definitions and very long anagrams meant I found this quite hard going, although it was quite satisfying to get through.   It seemed to … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def Relatively straightforward with well written clues. There was just one clue I didn’t follow fully (24 down). Across 1 Automatic: Double definition (refers to an automatic car). … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def A topical, Oscar-themed puzzle which I found quite enjoyable but may not be to the taste of non-film buffs, especially since some of the films referenced were … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone After a lot of quite difficult puzzles recently, it was nice to have something relatively straightforward. I even had time to look for the NINA, which appears across the … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone I found this extremely tough. There was a lot of quite obscure stuff and quite a few that I didn’t follow. Across 1,14 Monday Morning Feeling: Mon + hom. … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone A Groundhog Day themed puzzle, although the joke of having the phrase appear three times owed more to the Bill Murray film than the weather forecasting event. I think … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone An enjoyable puzzle that didn’t require vast amounts of general knowledge. There were some excellent surface definitions that appeared utterly bewildering at first glance (particularly 21 down). Across 9 … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone I found this extremely tough and struggled to get going. Repeatedly misreading 20 down as “hackneyed phrase” didn’t help. However, all the answers made sense to me. Across 1 … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone Across 1 Bored: ore in BD. 4 Games: Gas around ME. 9 Itchy: [T]itchy. 10 Solitaire: So I lit a [f]ire. 11 Scrabble: (BB + arcs)< + le. 13 … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone I found this surprisingly easy, given it was littered with the sort of clues that I normally struggle with (e.g. double definitions involving the names of celebrities). Most of … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone An enjoyable puzzle with a good mix of clues. The only one I didn’t follow was 21 down. Across 1 Attache: Cryptic def (attache case). 5 Sampler: S[titches] + … Read more >>