Guardian Quiptic

Anto has produced a generally sound Quiptic for us this morning, which some newer solvers might have found a stretch in places. But if you’re doing the Quiptics to learn and improve then … Read more >>

Another enjoyable Quiptic from Matilda this morning. (Or last Thursday, for those who noticed it was erroneously published early under the Cryptic heading on the Guardian website.) The wordplay in 11a and the … Read more >>

Pan always provides ‘beginners and those in a hurry’ with a well-constructed and entertaining Quiptic. The NW corner took a bit of teasing out, but the whole puzzle fell out nicely in the … Read more >>

Thanks to Carpathian for a neat and enjoyable Quiptic. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Confront air conditioning price (6) ACCOST : AC(abbrev. for “air conditioning”) + COST(the price to pay … Read more >>

Hectence is a long-standing setter of the Quiptic and can always be relied on to produce an easy-end puzzle that fits the bill for those new to cryptics. This was a pleasing and … Read more >>

Anto is providing our entertainment today: mostly straightforward with a few tricky moments. I made steady progress with this, then realised I’d got absolutely nothing in the SW corner. That held out for … Read more >>

Always a pleasure when I see Matilda’s name on opening up the Quiptic. I found this an entertaining puzzle, with one or two clues requiring a bit of head-scratching; but it was all … Read more >>

Thanks to Carpathian for a good introductory crossword – quick and cryptic. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Rolling dice proven to show foresight (10) PROVIDENCE : Anagram of(Rolling) DICE PROVEN. … Read more >>

Always a pleasure to see Hectence’s name come up when it’s my turn to blog the Quiptic. Another delightful puzzle that fulfils its brief, with some elegant surfaces to enjoy.       … Read more >>

Thanks Pan for a Quiptic that’s just at the right level. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 8 Not old enough to destroy deer with a gun (8) UNDERAGE : Anagram of(to … Read more >>

Anto’s first offering of 2020, which didn’t have much to recommend it as a Quiptic, in my opinion. As always, you may think otherwise.       Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double … Read more >>

Thanks Matilda for a fun Quiptic. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Know-how that hurts in the media (7) PROWESS : OW!(exclamation when something hurts one/That hurts!) contained in(in) PRESS(the media, … Read more >>

Apologies for the late blog, but blame the Grauniad, not me. A fine end to the Quiptic year, with a puzzle from Carpathian that does exactly what it says on the tin. For … Read more >>

This morning’s Guardian Quiptic has not yet appeared on the paper’s website (although the cryptic has).  I will be on the case with the blog when it does show its face. Pierre

Another excellent Quiptic from Hectence today. There’s a wide variety of clue constructions, including many old favourite tricks, but nothing too obscure; the surfaces are very good too. If you’re trying to introduce … Read more >>