Simon Harding

A very entertaining puzzle this week, I thought. There were plenty of unfamiliar terms and spellings, though they were all well signposted, meaning that while a fair bit of confirmation was needed from … Read more >>

As if this week’s IoS crossword wasn’t enough of a challenge, this seemed to be quite a tough week from Beelzebub too. In fact I’ve made it all the way to blogging day … Read more >>

A two-sitting solve this week, with the Chambers app getting a thorough workout towards the end. Lots of nice long anagrams to work through, which can always be quite satisfying. Of those, the … Read more >>

All relatively straightforward and unambiguous this week, I think, though no less enjoyable for it. *=anagram, []=dropped, <=reversed. Across 1 PABULAR – (B + ULA) in PAR. 7 PUSS – double definition. 10 … Read more >>

Lovely stuff from Beelzebub once again, though a very challenging week compared to the last two, I found. As is becoming traditional, just the one bit of help needed from readers, at 25 … Read more >>

This was a strangely similar solving experience to last week, where I thought I’d finished without resorting to aids, only to find I’d stuffed one up. At 19 down I hadn’t been able … Read more >>

Almost an unaided finish, but unfortunately I made one slip at 18 down. I couldn’t quite believe the wordplay and felt WADMEAL, wihch doesn’t exist, was the likely entry, even though the clue … Read more >>

A slightly strange week for me. On the one hand I seemed to struggle greatly, having to resort to aids with only a few answers written in, yet on the other there doesn’t … Read more >>

I do enjoy Beelzebub’s very occasional forays into thematic/special instructions territory, and it perhaps wasn’t a huge surprise to find just such a puzzle on the Sunday before Christmas. We were told that … Read more >>

Quite a solve of two halves for me this week. In the first sitting I managed a grand total of one clue solved, the very accessible 20ac. I may just have been tired … Read more >>