neildubya

I found this very easy – one of my rare sub-10 minute solves I think – but that’s not really the point as there’s a very clever piece of grid wizardry going on … Read more >>

Another corker from Nestor, with lots of clever and original stuff going on. Across 5 G,LIT,ZY 11 (st)AR,GUE(st) – very nice surface reading for this one. 12 (TO A DUNCE)* – the first … Read more >>

Across 1 MP in TRUED UP 9 ACK(nowledge) in BLOG – nice to see words like BLOG appearing in crosswords but, if you know the word, “online journal” is something of a giveaway. … Read more >>

My first blog after a two and a half week break away from crosswords and luckily for me and my sleep-deprived brain, it’s a Phi. I did actually manage to solve a few … Read more >>

As if to prove that Sudoku really does appear everywhere these day, it’s even made its way into cryptic crosswords. If you don’t know what I’m on about, have a look at the … Read more >>

More wizardry from Merlin. A couple of “adult” clues and some up-to-the-minute pop culture references, along with some excellent clues. There were a few I wasn’t sure about though (1A, 16A, 10D), and one … Read more >>

A compiler I usually struggle with but not on this occasion. There are some very nice clues in this but a couple that I don’t fully understand and a couple of (I think) … Read more >>

Apologies for the brief write-up today – am a bit pressed for time. A fine puzzle from Phi, with a few excellent clues. Across 11 AG,EG in GRATE – nice deceptive use of … Read more >>

Another demonstration of why crosswords don’t have to be difficult to be entertaining. Interesting, and subtle, ambiguity at 3A though. Across 3 (FAR LESS BIG)* – I filled in FIBRE GLASS at first … Read more >>

I bow to no-one in my admiration of Nimrod, despite the fact that some his stuff goes completely over my head, but I don’t think this was one of his better efforts. I … Read more >>

This seemed slightly easier than Nestor’s previous puzzles but no less brilliant. Practically every clue reads perfectly and the construction of the wordplay is absolutely spot-on throughout. There’s a couple that I didn’t … Read more >>

Another fine puzzle from Tees and, in keeping with the last few Monday puzzles, quite difficult in places. Across 1 (MARK)* in WON – “Newmark” (helped out by “Maybe”) to indicate an anagram … Read more >>