Ringo

I don’t think I’ve encountered many Aardvarks before in my Thursday slot; in any event, there was nothing here to drive me to echo Edmund Blackadder’s furious  exclamation: “If I ever meet an … Read more >>

A very enjoyable puzzle, this one, I thought. Plenty of variation, one or two devilish (possibly too devilish) devices, and I even learnt a new word. Thank-you, Alberich. ACROSS 1. TEMPLE  MP [Member of Parliament, … Read more >>

Had a pretty miserable time with this, I’m afraid. The theme was partly, but not entirely, to blame… ACROSS 1. STRINE  Anagram of (ma)sterin(g); ‘strine’ is a term for Australian slang 4. BRISBANE  … Read more >>

Sorry I’m late – I had some work that steadfastly refused to do itself. A very nice little puzzle, this one, I thought; not too tough (thankfully) but full of wit and imagination. … Read more >>

Nothing too devious from Falcon this morning: a decent mix (though perhaps a few too many insertions), a handful of real dollies and only one or two quibble-worthy liberties… ACROSS 1. CHAPEL MASTER  … Read more >>

A real wrong ‘un (or, if you prefer, curveball) from Gozo here. I think this is the first FT puzzle I’ve blogged that comes with special instructions; the theme may well have a … Read more >>

A pleasant, easy-going puzzle, this – ideal for those with lots to do and not enough time to do it, which, with Christmas closing in, probably means most of us. A few great … Read more >>

I’d been feeling a little jaded with the world of cryptics lately (cue violins)… but the wonderful Arachne in the Guardian yesterday and Orense here today have quite restored my faith. How’s that for … Read more >>

Christmas has come early at the FT: despite us not yet being into double figures on the advent calendar, Redshank has dished up a spicy pudding of festive allusions. It doesn’t take much … Read more >>

I really struggled with this, and was prepared to wreak mighty vengeance on Monk in this post – but, on reflection over a cup of coffee, I can see that most of the … Read more >>

Some lovely – if at times maddeningly convoluted – clueing by Alberich here. Had terrible trouble with the left-hand side of the grid, but that’s down to the fuzziness of my brain today … Read more >>

Oops. Problems here. I’m not sure how it’s come out in the pink paper, but the PDF puzzle I’ve got from the FT website is all to cock: rogue white squares and clues … Read more >>

A great example of a none-too-tricky puzzle that was nevertheless great fun to solve. Nothing particularly arcane (although I did learn one new word); just well-crafted, creative wordplay. Thanks Orense. ACROSS 1. POSITS  … Read more >>

An uneventful morning’s work, this one (the sole novelty being that, due to an apparent FT famine in north Leeds, I had to print the puzzle off and, disorientingly, solve it on white … Read more >>

Is the FT getting harder, or am I getting stupider? That’s a rhetorical question. Took me a while to work through this lovely puzzle from the Don, which touches on ornithology, pharmacology, philosophy … Read more >>