Azed 1849: Lucky bleeders*
*(Ref: the late, great Ian Dury, ‘There Ain’t Half Been Some Clever Bastards’) When I say that I found an Azed relatively straightforward, I always seem to get responses from people who say … Read more >>
Never knowingly undersolved
*(Ref: the late, great Ian Dury, ‘There Ain’t Half Been Some Clever Bastards’) When I say that I found an Azed relatively straightforward, I always seem to get responses from people who say … Read more >>
I was bamboozled by the NW corner and had to resort to an email friend (in this case, PeterB) largely because I fell into the trap of RUMBA for our Cuban dance at … Read more >>
Solving time: say 2 hours in a couple of sessions It’s intriguing to see the successor of Torquemada and Ximenes dedicating a puzzle to Araucaria, who some strict Ximeneans might want (metaphorically of … Read more >>
Solving time about 35 mins, with Chambers and Bradford’s. Across 1 DOG’S BREAKFAST – “Men generally” = DOGS, rest = BREAK, dissipatedly = FAST (apparently). 10 ISOBRONT (to robins)* – a contour line … Read more >>
As Azeds go, this was fairly straightforward to solve, and it had the usual quota of delightfully witty clues and elegant surface reading. I wasn’t too sure of all the wordplay, though; perhaps … Read more >>
Solving time: not recorded – maybe an hour or so. Chambers used for 3 or 4 answers at the end. This is in a bit of haste before going to Cheltenham, so I … Read more >>
A possibly error-free Azed! The usual mix of obscure words in both the grid and word play, some unusual devices and some great surfaces added up to a typically enjoyable Azed plain puzzle. … Read more >>
Solving time – about 45 mins, with Chambers and Bradfords After the two uncharacteristic faux pas the previous week, I was surprised to see yet another error creep into this one (see 6 … Read more >>
(this version added Weds 19 Sep, 8:20 p.m. – the first two comments relate to the corrected clue to 23D printed with no. 1842) Solving time: roughly 90 mins from memory This puzzle includes two mistakes, … Read more >>
Another excellent Azed with a twist. Omitted and added letters spell out: IT’S GOOD BUT LETTERS GET IN THE WRONG PLACES. The full quotation from Winnie the Pooh is: “My spelling is Wobbly. … Read more >>
Solving time 42:56 I used Chambers earlier than normal – after putting in about half a dozen answers. This puzzle seems to have a fairly high proportion of unfamiliar answers, which I think … Read more >>
Solving time 31:34, but Chambers and Bradford’s used throughout. Either they’re getting easier, or I’m improving! Azed always used to take me at least an hour, even with all the solving aids. Maybe … Read more >>
Another mistake from Azed at 1A – the last Azed I did (1831) had one as well. What is the world coming to? I did the first half of this without a dictionary … Read more >>
Solving time: 57 minutes A nice friendly monthly puzzle from Azed, with some clever clueing and no need to resort to brain straining themes or devices. I wonder whether indicating hyphenated answers would … Read more >>
This was lots of fun — high-quality clues, as ever, from Azed, with a nice twist to make it even more interesting. Each across clue was for two overlapping words — one was … Read more >>