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.

Quiptic 1,049 by Hectence

Mon 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

Mon 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

Sun 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

Mon 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

Mon 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

Sun November 17, 2019 at 12:23 pmSun November 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 >>

Guardian Cryptic 27,971 by Vlad

Wed November 6, 2019 at 1:52 pmWed November 6, 2019 at 10:28 am by Quirister

Vlad is giving us today’s challenge: it’s not easy but a bit of effort is eventually rewarded. A few of these had fairly obvious answers (at least with a couple of crossers) but … Read more >>

Independent 10,315 by Hoskins

Mon November 4, 2019 at 9:30 am by Quirister

A tricky workout from Hoskins today. Some of this was straightforward, but there are a few rather obscure references, awkward constructions and slightly loose definitions; all gettable but needed a bit of fact-checking. … Read more >>

Quiptic 1,041 by Matilda

Mon October 28, 2019 at 11:10 am by Quirister

Matilda provides our Monday morning entertainment today. The grid is a bit unfriendly, with very little connection between the top and bottom halves, but I found the puzzle mostly straightforward, with a couple … Read more >>

Everyman 3,809

Sun October 20, 2019 at 12:54 pmSun October 20, 2019 at 12:15 am by Quirister

Everyman’s on good form this week. A fun solve.

Independent 10,297 by Flitwick

Mon October 14, 2019 at 9:00 am by Quirister

Flitwick is a fairly recent addition to the Indy’s team of crossword setters. Pierre pointed out that he’d blogged all of Flitwick’s first three puzzles earlier this year, but I’m happy to break the pattern with this one.

Quiptic 1,037 by Pan

Mon September 30, 2019 at 10:15 am by Quirister

Thanks to Pan for our Monday morning wake-up exercise. (And hello to any Quiptic regulars who haven’t met me; I’ve been a Fifteensquared blogger for a while but haven’t done the Quiptic until now.)