A ‘jigsaw’ puzzle from Kite this month – with the pieces all needing a bit of additional work before entry…
Guardian
Guardian 28,273 / Puck
This was a typically clever and amusing puzzle from Puck. I found some of the parsing here quite tricky to work out, but it was definitely satisfying to do so. Thanks, Puck! There’s … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,278 by Shed
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28278. Quite a hard crossword for a time when changes of daylight savings time robs me of an hour’s worth of solving, with a couple of definitely … Read more >>
Guardian 28,277 / Paul
A fairly tough challenge from Paul this morning, especially in the parsing department. This was another middle-of-the-night solve for me, with the parsing left until the morning, in the hope that light would … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,276 by Brendan
A fun puzzle – I particularly liked 9ac, 21ac, 22ac, 2dn, 18dn, and 22dn. Thanks to Brendan. …hard to miss the theme around Shakespeare’s Othello, with extra links to theatre more generally and … Read more >>
Guardian 28,275 – Nutmeg
Nutmeg in gentle mode, but with all her usual wit and elegance. Very nice. No theme or Nina that I can see, but I’d be happy to be corrected on that. Thanks to … Read more >>
Quiptic 1,093 by Pan
An enjoyable solve from Pan this morning: mostly “easy when you know how”. As always, Pan provides concise clues with some lovely surfaces: my favourite was 1d. There are lots of common crossword … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,274 by Matilda
Apologies for the late post – I wrote this blog a couple of hours ago, but sent it to Fifteensquared as a draft by mistake. An enjoyable Monday morning stroll… … which proves … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 28,267 by Paul
A biscuit-themed puzzle from Paul this week. In his email to subscribers, Paul mentioned that this puzzle was inspired by the actions of a three-year old – “crumbs, that was embarrassing”: presumably one … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28272 Vlad
Thanks to Vlad for this puzzle, which contains some topical references. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. Plant rejected a kind of strike after one fellow sacked (7) FUCHSIA : Reversal … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,271 by Tramp
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28271. This gives me the impression of an exercise in envelopes, very well varied, with a few double definitions thrown in (of course, it is actually more … Read more >>
Guardian 28,270 / Qaos
It’s Qaos providing the mid-week entertainment, with an enjoyable and, as usual, themed puzzle. Regarding the theme, I was led for a short while up the garden path. For once, I thought to … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,269 by Brummie
An enjoyable puzzle – I particularly liked 8ac, 13ac, 15/20ac, 1dn, 3dn, and 4dn. Many thanks to Brummie. …there are [at least] some linked grid entries – FORD MADOX FORD wrote [The] GOOD … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,092/Hectence
The usual sound and pleasing Quiptic from Hectence this morning, but with a rather unusual feature. Which is that there are no full anagrams in the puzzle. Some beginners (and … Read more >>
Guardian 28,268 – Vulcan
A typical collection of mostly straightforward clues from Vulcan, with just a couple of the NE corner that held me up at the end. Quite light on the cryptic definitions, which is fine … Read more >>