Never knowingly undersolved
Some sad news to report first – which I don’t think has been mentioned on this site yet – is that the preamble to EV1069, published on Sun 5 May informs us that James Leonard, … Read more >>
Firstly, my apologies for having this blog up so late. I have finals starting soon and I misjudged my workload. I’m sorry for making you all wait.
So how taxing is taxing? That is my first question – Misprints in the definitions of all but 2 clues, once corrected they will reveal a French proverb and ten thematic adjustments to … Read more >>
Having escaped from the jaws of Playfair codes with yesterday’s Listener (Oh, No! Not Another Playfair), courtesy of Mordred, here I am well and truly in at the deep end! Time to see … Read more >>
OK – I know when I’m beaten – I surrender! I’ll come out quietly with my hands up. A seemingly simple preamble, a reasonably quick grid fill, and then two-plus weeks staring at … Read more >>
‘Reform’? Surely not a puzzle about everyone’s favourite right-wing purveyors of guff? (Actually, hold that thought…) In any case, I sometimes get rather stuck with trickier missing letter clues, so I wonder if this one is going to behave. (Actually, I don’t. Obviously, I’ve already solved the puzzle at this point. But let’s not damage the fourth wall any more.)
So two groups to identify – Four unclued and 6 clued without definition and a link between teh two groups to be highlighted. Sounds musical to me. The corrected misprints to 23 clues … Read more >>
For the second month running, I have a crossword that hasn’t got any extra/missing letters/words or misprints. Instead, just eleven words in the perimeter and central row to identify, and something to write … Read more >>
An intriguing preamble: As ‘instructed’ by the grid, solvers must make a choice in the case of eleven clashes; and a further ten clues omit a letter in the subsidiary indications – these … Read more >>
‘Down Under’? Is it – finally – a ‘Neighbours’ themed EV? Will the clues include phrases such as ‘a bit of a barbie’ and ‘Ramsay Street’?
A new setter, I believe, certainly not one I have come across before – Should be interesting then. Twencelas’ third principle “Variety is the spice of the solver”. Do I, perhaps, detect a … Read more >>
A larger than normal grid this week, 14×14, and a lot of clues to go with it. What’s more, all the clues were normal, not a misprint or extra letter in sight. There … Read more >>
My first thoughts on seeing this puzzle were a) not another ‘split clue and decide where to put the answers’, like my last blog, EV1052, and b) that the split grid device was … Read more >>
When I was solving this puzzle, I wasn’t sure whether it was my turn to blog or not. I was happy to find out that it was, since I found it a lovely diversion: a pleasant decoration of time, as I think someone* said of music.
A simple preamble – some theme words and connections and a little bit of highlighting to finish. Sounds like a very accessible EV, one for the first timer, even. For those, just dipping … Read more >>