Guardian 25,875 – Tramp

A most pleasant romp this morning through some fairly challenging clues; some of which with definitions that are as mysterious as the cryptic part of the clues. Tramp has obviously taken great pain … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25874 Rufus

A Rufus with, I thought, a more than usual share of anagrams, cds and dds, so it might win even fewer friends.  There are some nice surfaces and misdirections, though.  Thanks Rufus.  Definitions … Read more >>

Guardian 25,872 – Arachne

Well, you can’t go wrong with Arachne, as shown by her Quiptic on Monday this week, and now this cryptic. I got a few answers very quickly, and thought it was going to … Read more >>

Guardian 25,871 – Boatman

A Valentine’s crossword with a few well-worked mini-themes and lots of clever cluing – I particularly liked 13ac, 20ac/16dn, 25ac and 5dn/22dn. Groaned aloud at 19dn. Across 7 SAMOVAR =”Urn” [wiki] I think … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 691 Arachne

A straightforward enjoyable Quiptic from Arachne (who can turn up or down the difficulty level, as required).  Thank you to Arachne.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.   [[The pictures at the bottom have … Read more >>

Guardian 25.868 / Rufus

I found this a rather trickier Rufus than usual. There are some really nice clues, with the usual smooth-as-silk surfaces, my favourites being 12, 13 and 14ac and 15 and 18dn, along with … Read more >>

Guardian Prize 25,861 / Araucaria

Another beautifully cut and polished gem from Araucaria. On Monday, Hugh Stephenson’s Crossword Update gave a link to this photograph, taken last week by Steve Caplin, of Araucaria ‘playing’ with his Scrabble tiles. … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25865 Orlando

An enjoyable offering from Orlando.  Not difficult, with 25across my last one in.  Thanks to Orlando.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.  [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle.  … Read more >>

Guardian 25,864 / Paul

Not a lot of joy here for me today, with a theme in which I have little interest – but I’m glad to say that I did not resort to Google, except to … Read more >>

Guardian 25,863 – Crucible

This is a very foxy puzzle with a mini-theme that I almost missed. The clues are varied and employ many devices to bemuse and amuse. Very entertaining. Across 1 DECOCT It takes months … Read more >>