Quirister

I learned to do crosswords from my parents, who also introduced me to choral singing and classical languages (they met in a choir while studying Classics / History at university). Perhaps not the most obvious background for an Engineering degree, but the language and problem-solving skills turned out to be useful for working as a technical author in the software industry. Meanwhile all the fun stuff (sewing, cooking and various crafts as well as the singing) gradually took over more of my time . . . so eventually I decided that 30 years’ working life was enough. I now do a range of different volunteer tasks and need a good diary to keep track of it all. As they say: once you retire, you wonder how you ever found time to go to work.

Independent 10,422 by Tees

March 9, 2020 at 9:31 amMarch 9, 2020 at 9:00 am by Quirister

Oh, good, another Tees puzzle in my blog schedule. Always an enjoyable challenge. Some of these took a bit of working out: there are some slightly obscure definitions, such as 18d and the … Read more >>

Everyman 3,829

March 8, 2020 at 11:34 amMarch 8, 2020 at 12:01 am by Quirister

One of Everyman’s better crosswords this weekend, at least in my opinion. As we’ve come to expect, we have a related pair of longish answers (the with / without of 3d / 11d), … Read more >>

Quiptic 1,057 by Anto

February 17, 2020 at 12:53 pmFebruary 17, 2020 at 10:44 am by Quirister

Anto is providing our entertainment today: mostly straightforward with a few tricky moments. I made steady progress with this, then realised I’d got absolutely nothing in the SW corner. That held out for … Read more >>

Independent 10,404 by Gila

February 17, 2020 at 9:00 am by Quirister

Thanks Gila for an enjoyable challenge this morning. Gila is testing us with a wide range of cultural influences (art, literature and music); there are a few unusual words but the clues are … Read more >>

Everyman 3,825

February 9, 2020 at 12:01 am by Quirister

A bit of a mixed bag this week: mostly straightforward, some excellent clues, but a few slightly iffy ones. I enjoyed most of this, but a few clues look as though Everyman didn’t … Read more >>

Independent 10,386 by Silvanus

January 27, 2020 at 9:00 am by Quirister

An enjoyable challenge from Silvanus today: not the easiest, but with that important quality of “obviously right once you see it”. The neat surfaces hide a good variety of clue constructions, including the … Read more >>

Everyman 3,821

January 12, 2020 at 1:08 pmJanuary 12, 2020 at 12:01 am by Quirister

Everyman starts the New Year with . . . well, more of the same; bending the rules a bit but generally fun. There are a couple of names that might not be familiar … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 28,025 by Nutmeg

January 9, 2020 at 6:02 pmJanuary 9, 2020 at 9:30 am by Quirister

A tricky but enjoyable challenge today. As always, Nutmeg provides lovely surfaces, some of them also very neatly concise: 15a, 19a and 24d for example. She also enjoys definitions ranging from the slightly … Read more >>

Independent 10,368 by Vigo

January 6, 2020 at 9:30 am by Quirister

A nice straightforward puzzle for the first Monday of the new year. My fellow bloggers have commented before that Vigo’s puzzles are good examples for beginners who want to learn how this cryptic … Read more >>

Quiptic 1,049 by Hectence

December 23, 2019 at 10:28 am by Quirister

Another excellent Quiptic from Hectence today. There’s a wide variety of clue constructions, including many old favourite tricks, but nothing too obscure; the surfaces are very good too. If you’re trying to introduce … Read more >>

Independent 10,351 by Tees

December 16, 2019 at 9:00 am by Quirister

Tees and I often seem to meet in my Monday blogging slot. It’s always an enjoyable encounter, though sometimes trickier than one might expect for a Monday. As usual, Tees draws on a … Read more >>

Everyman 3,817

December 15, 2019 at 1:00 am by Quirister

A fairly straightforward Everyman this week. As we’ve come to expect, there are lots of anagrams and anagram indicators, a few slightly contrived definitions, and punctuation that’s put there to hinder rather than … Read more >>

Quiptic 1,045 by Carpathian

November 25, 2019 at 10:19 am by Quirister

Carpathian provides a very good example of how a Quiptic should be. The clues are all elegantly concise, there’s nothing too obscure, and while some solutions are not straightforward they’re all “obvious when … Read more >>

Independent 10,333 by Tees

November 25, 2019 at 9:00 am by Quirister

Tees often shows up in my Monday blogging rota slot. I’m not complaining; he’s always good fun, and today’s puzzle is no exception. A good mix of interestingly complicated constructions (of which my … Read more >>

Everyman 3,813

November 17, 2019 at 12:23 pmNovember 17, 2019 at 1:00 am by Quirister

Everyman as we’ve come to expect: occasionally a bit untidy but generally fun. As we’ve often seen recently, there are some rather loose definitions and slightly vague indicators in wordplay. However, there are … Read more >>