shuchi

As always, an entertaining, challenging puzzle from Bradman. Required plenty of research/help to get this finished. Some lovely clues in here, and one that I cannot fully explain (24A). Across 1 MADAME ME … Read more >>

The usual from Falcon, elegant and not too taxing. One new word for me, at 24A, nothing too obscure otherwise. The parsing for 27A is foggy still, help invited. // 27A updated. Across … Read more >>

Quite straightforward except a few clues in the top-right. Clues for compound words/phrases in this puzzle (1A, 10A, 28A, 5D, for example) split the answer along its natural join. Some of these clues … Read more >>

After a series of easy Fridays, a tough one from Viking with some fine clues. The bottom-right corner was the last to fall, with 21a/21d causing much perplexity before the ‘aha’ moments came. … Read more >>

Plenty of anagrams made this an easy ride. I have questions at one or two places, indicated along with the answers to clues. Across 1 SPHERICAL (CAR IS HELP)* 6 OASIS O (ring) … Read more >>

A very good puzzle, I thought. Smooth surfaces throughout, and nothing too obscure other than one look-up I needed for 11a. Picks for best clues: BLUEBOTTLE, WREN Across 1 BACKHANDER HAND (cards) in … Read more >>

Straightforward stuff today, with a mini-theme of furniture. Many cryptic and double definitions but none that truly sparkled. 20d stood out for its cleverly positioned hyphen at line-break. Across 1 SCHOOL cd 4 … Read more >>

[Now that the crossword has been uploaded on the site, removing the placeholder and filling in the  analysis.] A fine puzzle from Viking, with intricate wordplay at a few places that needed working … Read more >>

A nice puzzle that started comfortably but posed some difficulty at the end, with 6A taking up the max. time and I’m still not sure if it’s right. I enjoyed solving on the … Read more >>

An easy, rather predictable one with many double definitions. The clue surfaces are good but a few clues like 19a, 25a don’t seem entirely satisfactory. Across 1 DEFECT dd 4 THICKSET THICK (stupid) … Read more >>

A very good puzzle, a shade easier than Viking’s usual. I would’ve preferred fewer word truncations in the wordplay, but that’s a minor nitpick in an otherwise solid effort. Across 1 SHEEPISH SHE … Read more >>

Mudd gives us many amusing clues today with his trademark tongue-in-cheek definitions. Lots of fun. Favourite clue: GLADSTONE (14a) Across 1 PETER SELLERS The actor best known for his role as Chief Inspector … Read more >>

Apologies for the delay in posting. I couldn’t finish the puzzle in my lunch hour as I normally do. I found this extremely challenging. Words beyond my vocabulary (SKIDDOO, EDENTATE, to name two), … Read more >>

Hamilton’s second puzzle in FT, I believe. More adventurous in wordplay than the debut puzzle a few weeks ago. I had a good time solving it. One or two words (18a,14d) that needed … Read more >>

A mixed bag. Some easy clues, some not. Some fine clues, a few I have quibbles with or questions about. The NE corner was slow to fall, although after finishing the puzzle I … Read more >>