NealH

I've been doing crosswords off and on since university back in the 1980s. I used to do the Guardian, but defected to the Independent a year ago. My solving standard is still not what I'd like. I'd love to be able to knock off a crossword in 10 minutes, but find I'm still getting stuck for long periods when the inspiration doesn't quite arrive. I once had a go at compiling crosswords but, after a very rude rejection for the editor of the Telegraph, I didn't bother any further.

Independent 10,847 by Hoskins

July 19, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

There was lots of lovely clues in this but I did find one or two of the definitions a bit of a stretch.

Independent 10,829 by Skinny

June 28, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

I've not come across this compiler before but, if it's a debut, it's an excellent one.

Independent 10,811 by Klingsor

June 7, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

An enjoyable puzzle from the always reliable Klingsor.

Independent 10,793 by Hypnos

May 17, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

An entertaining puzzle with lots of clever use of cultural references.

Independent 10,775 by Morph

April 26, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

A delightful puzzle full of lots of variety.

Independent 10,757 by Italicus

April 5, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

A relatively gentle Monday puzzle which was full of well-designed and sound clues.

Independent 10,739 by Vigo

March 15, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a fairly gentle Monday puzzle. Nothing really stood out for me but it was all very enjoyable and well-constructed.

Independent 10,721 by Bluth

February 22, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

Much to enjoy in this offering, which seemed to have more clues to solve than usual.

Independent 10,703 by Tees

February 1, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

An excellent puzzle that had me delving quite deeply at times to see how the clues worked.

Independent 10,685 by Gila

January 11, 2021 at 9:00 am by NealH

An enjoyable and mostly easy puzzle. ACROSS 1 SEINFELD US sitcom character‘s life ends badly (8) (Life ends)* 5 GRADES Grammar school receiving excellent 5th place in Ofsted’s rankings (6) G{rammar} … Read more >>

Independent 10,668 by Vigo

December 21, 2020 at 9:00 am by NealH

Mostly on the easy side with a couple of exceptions. There might be a theme, as there seem to be quite a lot of food or plant-related items, but I'm not sure what … Read more >>

Independent 10,650 by Bluth

November 30, 2020 at 9:00 am by NealH

A very challenging puzzle with some great surface definitions. As I'm currently on antibiotics for a severely infected left thumb, I could have done without 1 across, but it was an interesting clue … Read more >>

Independent 10,632 by Poins

November 9, 2020 at 9:00 am by NealH

A very absorbing and enjoyable puzzle form Poins with some intricate wordplay in places and nice mixture of clues. ACROSS 1 BASIS The fundamental ingredient of cobbler essentially unaltered (5) [Cob]b[ler] + … Read more >>

Independent 10,614 by Shabbo

October 19, 2020 at 4:58 pmOctober 19, 2020 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this a mixture of quite easy and quite tough clues. There were a few more of the CD type, which I'm not normally a fan of. However, on this occasion, I … Read more >>

Independent 10,596 by Vigo

September 28, 2020 at 9:00 am by NealH

An enjoyable and conventional puzzle from Vigo which was generally at the easier end of the spectrum. I quite liked the misdirection in 1 across where most solvers would instantly assume two pints … Read more >>