Guardian

I was able to solve this very quickly, helped by a lot of straightforward clues and by… …the theme, which I was lucky to spot early on from 8a, confirmed by 14a: it’s … Read more >>

A slightly tougher start to the week than usual. Having become used to Mondays being a bit easier than the rest of the week, I found this one a bit harder than the … Read more >>

Phew, this was hard work! A cleverly themed puzzle from Puck with lots of cross-referenced clues. Thanks to Puck! The rubric for this puzzle was: Special instructions: Ten solutions (not further defined) are … Read more >>

Thank you to Pasquale. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Routine for Jewish comedian, dull person sounding drunk? (6) SHTICK : “is thick”(is dull/dim) pronounced as ” ‘shtick” by a drunk … Read more >>

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28301. A very enjoyable stroll, with some pleasing misdirections. ACROSS 1 SOAP OPERA Shoot up, ingesting drink and drug before adult show (4,5) A charade of SOAPOPER, … Read more >>

It took a while to get into this but then things began to fall into place, making for an interesting and enjoyable solve. As always with Nutmeg, there are some very clever clues, … Read more >>

A slow solve, with a few unfamiliar solutions. Favourites were 18ac, 27ac, 6dn, 7dn, and 25dn. Thanks to Brummie …there is a theme: COLD/PLAY, RADIO/HEAD, The POLICE, The ROLLING STONES, TRAFFIC, BLUR, PULP, … Read more >>

A very quick solve for me today, even by Monday standards. A few weak spots in the clues, but in general soundly constructed, so this would be a good puzzle for beginners. Thanks … Read more >>

A topical thematic puzzle from Brendan this week. It was obvious from the clues that there was going to be a political theme, and it soon became apparent that it referred to the … Read more >>

The email advertising Paul’s Zoom session tonight (see his website) has the title “Did I do this on purpose?” and says “Looking back over this puzzle there are a couple of coincidences.”… …I … Read more >>

Thank you to Vlad. This wasn’t a write-in for me. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1, 18. He dealt with state affairs a lot — wrong description of Boris? (1,6,2,2,5,3) A … Read more >>

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28294. This unfolded for me as a good crossword should: at first glance impenetrable – it was nor just that I could not come up with answers, … Read more >>

It’s a while since I blogged a Crucible puzzle, so I was pleased to see his name this morning. Lots of ingenious wordplay and witty surfaces and definitions, as usual from this setter, … Read more >>