Azed

Azed No. 2,688: ‘A Cool Yomp’ – Christmas Competition Puzzle

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NOTE:  This blog was previously posted on December 31, 2023, and was temporarily withdrawn in light of the announcement of a corrected closing date for the competition.

I viewed with some dread the fact that I had drawn the Christmas Eve Azed slot, having failed in years past to complete the special holiday puzzles (the one about “presents around the tree” being an especially unpleasant memory.) And as one who finds Spoonerisms nearly always overwrought and almost never even remotely witty, the prospect of an entire puzzle constructed with Spoonerisms put a wet blanket on my Christmas cheer. And as one who frequently struggles with purported “homophones” based upon Received Pronunciation, I knew that I was in for a mindbender, at best, and outright failure, at worst. Setting those grinchy cavils aside, I must say, I think that I have actually completed this crossword correctly. It took me several sittings, but ultimately, I found the challenge enjoyable. Saying the words and their possible phonemic inversions out loud definitely helped with solving.

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Azed 2689

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This is the final Azed of 2023 with the usual mix of known and lesser know entries.       I know this blog precedes the blog for the Spoonerism Competition Puzzle Azed 2688, … Read more >>

Azed 2686

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For grid-spotters, this one is slightly unusual in having 90-degree rotational symmetry, though that doesn’t seem to have any special significance. Just another quality puzzle from the master. Thanks to Azed. Across 1 … Read more >>

Azed No. 2,685 Plain- Competition Puzzle

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I was relieved that this was just a ‘plain’ Azed crossword, because his specials often take ages. In the event it was one of his easier ones I thought. All made sense and I felt as if everything was parsed OK. You may have different opinions. It seemed there were quite a lot of anagrams: I counted ten clues in which there were whole or part anagrams. Some of the definitions are a bit dense, but will be there in Chambers.

Definitions in crimson, underlined. Anagram indicators shown like (this)* or *(this).

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Azed 2683

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We have a standard crossword from Azed this week.       For me, this was a puzzle of two halves.  I made good progress on the right hand side but struggled quite … Read more >>

Azed 2680

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Quite an easy one on the Azed scale, helped by no fewer than four hidden answers. Thanks to Azed.   Across 1 UPCATCH Cup brewed, chat freely to exchange latest news? (7)CUP* + … Read more >>

Azed 2679 ‘Right and left’

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I found this rather difficult, and several held out for a long time. The left-hand answer to 12dn resolutely escapes parsing: I hope someone tells us how it works. The rather odd format … Read more >>

Azed 2677

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We have a solid standard puzzle from Azed this week.       This was a plain Azed puzzle with normal clues although there was a note that stated: “34 appears only, with … Read more >>