Never knowingly undersolved
Apparently, we have a new setter – but you never know – which is always an interesting challenge. The astronomical theme was not entirely within my comfort zone and needed a bit of … Read more >>
Tricky and very enjoyable – my favourites were 11ac, 15ac, 20ac, 1dn, 4dn, and 10dn. Thanks to Picaroon for the puzzle
Another Vulcan Monday for those who like a gentle start to the week, with quite a few cryptic (or barely cryptic) definitions. Thanks to Vulcan. Across 1 BIOPIC A sexually fluid work … Read more >>
Really glad to see that I was blogging Pasquale, who’ve I’ve blogged in the Quiptic spot before. He is one of the setters who can lend his hand to a range of difficulties, producing Quiptics and Cryptic puzzles that fit the bill. The puzzle is found here
This is the twenty-fifth Guardian Quick Cryptic, a series of 11 x 11 crosswords designed to support beginners learning cryptic crosswords. The whole point of these crosswords is support and encouragement of new solvers, so special rules for these crosswords apply – see here. The puzzle can be found here.
An unusual grid for the prize puzzle this week which made me look for a nina, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected.
An enjoyable puzzle that I found mostly straightforward, though there are a couple of clues that I can’t parse to my satisfaction: please enlighten me. Thanks to Pangakupu. Looking for the traditional Māori … Read more >>
Thank you to Paul. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. See 23 Down 4, 16. 20’s 19 announced? (6,2,5) BRIDGE OF SIGHS : Homophone of(… announced) [“bridge(a card game)” + “of … Read more >>
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29491.
Apologies for the lateness and the brevity – I realised there was obviously a problem with the regular blogger and contacted Ken around lunchtime to ask if he knew anything, so I’m blogging at speed.
An enjoyable mix of clues and a number of nice surfaces in Dynamo’s second Monday appearance. I particularly liked 11ac, 2dn, 3dn, and 5dn. Thanks to Dynamo
Hectence is one of our long-standing Quiptic setters and brings us this Sunday’s offering. First off, it’s a pangram: all 26 letters feature, and this is itself a feature of all Hectence’s Quiptic … Read more >>
This is the twenty-fourth Guardian Quick Cryptic, a series of 11 x 11 crosswords designed to support beginners learning cryptic crosswords. The whole point of these crosswords is support and encouragement of new solvers, so special rules for these crosswords apply – see here. The puzzle can be found here.
It wouldn’t be a Paul if there weren’t a few multi-location entries and a bit of cross-referencing…and sure enough, on the first scan through, 26A/27A seems to get a lot of mentions…
Apologies for the late and somewhat hurried blog – something came up earlier and I’ve only got back to to finish solving now. Enjoyed the solve nonetheless – thank you, Brummie.