Piccadilly is looking to SWITCH jobs this week – hopefully just the ‘day job’, and not the puzzle setting…
Enigmatic Variations
Enigmatic Variations No. 1638 – Chilly by The Ace Of Hearts
“From the answer to each clue, a letter must be deleted wherever it appears before entry into the grid; definitions refer to the full unmutilated answer, wordplay to the grid entry and word length/count to the answer. In clue order, the omitted letters give a definition (eight words) of a CHILLY word in Chambers (six letters), which must be highlighted in the completed grid. The three unclued entries are examples of this word. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Enigmatic Variations 1637 QUESTION by STICK INSECT
Misprints in every clue spelling out three characters – which form the subject of a question in a work that must be removed from the final grid. Right on my wavelength this one … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1636: Mislaid by Luxor
Hello everyone. A cracking puzzle from Luxor!
Enigmatic Variations No. 1635: Tom’s Problem by Kcit
Not sure who TOM is, but he has a PROBLEM! Can we fix it? Yes we can!…
Enigmatic Variations No.1634 – The Magnificent Seven by Gaston
“Single-letter clashes occur in circled cells; reading in column order, picking one of the letters in each clash will spell out what THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN have in common; the other 14 letters should be entered in the cells. In each clue, the wordplay leads to the answer and a single extra letter; reading in clue order, these letters show how one would access one of the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN using the (appropriately positioned) circled letters. Its creator (4,8) should be written below the grid. One answer is an abbreviation; Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Enigmatic Variations 1633 18dn by BOTOX
What a preamble! With a hint from 18dn – a name around more than half the perimeter – 6 clues with definitions and word play differing by one letter – the six selected … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1632: No Brand by Vismut
Hi everybody. Vismut has promised us a puzzle with a tidy finish …
Enigmatic Variations No. 1631: Missing by Eclogue
Eclogue presents some (28) clues with MISSING letters – and several thematic items and a place to deduce…
Enigmatic Variations No.1630 – Mixed Doubles by Ifor
“The answers to each pair of clues sharing a number must be MIXED so as to give the DOUBLES (pairs of names) that form the entry. Remaining across clues each contain a misprint in their definition; correct letters in clue order identify a playwright, one of whose works forms the central column. This work, differently punctuated, is part of a line (in ODQ) by another playwright which describes the shaded region of the grid. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Enigmatic Variations 1629 Ceaselessly by Curmudgeon
There is a quotation around the perimeter missing ‘Ceaselessly’ and extra letters in down clues give an instruction. A pretty straight forward EV this week – some uncommon words but nothing too difficult … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1627: The Missing Link by Gaston
Gaston challenges us to find a MISSING LINK, and to ‘deal with’ a barred-off central cell… The preamble states that: “Answers to eight normal clues have the same consecutive letters (the LINK) removed … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1626 – Cops by Piccadilly
“Across answers in six alternate rows are to be jumbled thematically before entry in the grid, and down answers in the fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth columns are to be jumbled non-thematically. Reading from top to bottom, left to right, the letters in the circled cells confirm the COPS theme.”
Enigmatic Variations 1625 Rogue by Karla
Well a new setter for me in the EV space. And a complex preamble too. 11 across answers need thematic treatment and the other answers in these rows have a single letter misprint … Read more >>