Guardian

Solving time: 23:35 After five minutes I had solved four clues. Then 15ac helped me tumble to the theme: ‘S’ = ‘State capital’. Most of the puzzle then fell out quickly but I … Read more >>

This puzzle is dominated by four long down entries. Once you have solved them, the rest of the answers become much easier to fathom out. It was generally fair, and there are some … Read more >>

Solving time: 35’ Lots of wondrous wordplay to admire here – and some to wonder about. Sometimes numbers in clues really are numbers – and not other clues. The editing isn’t The Guardian’s … Read more >>

A particularly appropriate one for an inaugural blog by a female gardener, being themed around women and plant names. Quite a mix of clues — mostly pretty easy, but one or two more … Read more >>

As we approach the long-awaited publication of the latest instalment of the boy wizard’s adventures, it may be time for a moratorium on Potter-themed crosswords. I’d done quite a few clues before I turned to 5,25, … Read more >>

Solving time 11:05 Well, surprise surprise! A Rufus puzzle with only a couple of (good) cryptic definitions, and overall a great set of clues with excellent surface readings throughout. Rufus has complained in … Read more >>

Solving time: 20 mins, Chambers for 18ac and 19dn. Three monster clues (six or seven words each) in this puzzle, two of them linked, but easier than usual to get without lots of … Read more >>

Pretty simple fare for a Friday, took me just over 10 mins, with a high proportion of clues solving more or less at first look. Wordplay mostly straightforward, apart from 1ac (see below) and 20 … Read more >>

When I opened the Guardian website today to see whose puzzle I’d be blogging, I had that familair sense of unease that comes from seeing the name “Araucaria”. Don’t get me wrong – … Read more >>

Solving time: 25’ Some very slick wordplay here – in many cases I had to think hard and laterally to identify the setter’s devices. In others, I’m still wondering. A few middle-aged complaints … Read more >>

A quick grid fill with some clever clues and some nice inter-linking. I missed the wordplay in a couple but got the answers okay. Across 7,18 THE CAT’S WHISKERS — (CRESS WITH H(orse) … Read more >>

Solving time: about 7 mins. This was another very easy Monday crossword from Rufus. I liked some of the CDs but had issues with a couple of them (as usual). Still, made a … Read more >>

Solving time: 8:28 This was a lot easier than most Guardian prize crosswords, with few difficult words and the ones there were deduceable from the wordplay. The Guardian Crossword website front page claims … Read more >>

A pretty fiendish puzzle. Trying circumstances for me, 10 minutes on a crowded tube followed by 20 over lunch approx, but I found this one very tough going, with a lot of quite advanced tricks. Vocab … Read more >>