Another bit of Sunday fun from Everyman
Observer
Azed No. 2,778
Not a typical Azed plain this week.
Everyman 4.145/29 March
All the trademark clues present as usual in this week’s offering from Everyman. Some straightforward anagrams to give you a foothold, then a grid that fell out nicely, for this solver at least.
Gemelo 29
I think I’m gradually getting the hang of this setter: a few tricky moments but less of a struggle than I’ve found some of his work. Thanks to Gemelo.
Gemelo No. 28 – Plain
After the brilliant Gemelo 27 with its Spoonerisms etc, we are now back to a plain Gemelo, and it seemed to me to be harder, possibly because I was solving at the computer (the software that I normally use has been tripped up by The Observer’s changes and this blog will look a bit different) with my reference books on my lap — I hadn’t learnt how to print a pdf, which thanks to The Observer I know now. There are two whose parsing is at present beyond me and which I hope to understand while I’m doing the blog. [Later: no].
My guess is that anyone who does these crosswords will have a copy of Chambers to hand and so won’t need everything to be spelled out. In the parsing I have confined myself to explaining when the wordplay is not immediately clear.
Definitions in some sort of red, underlined. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*
Everyman 4144
All fine. A nice crossword with nothing very controversial so far as I can see. Definitions in some sort of red, underlined. Indicators (homophone, hidden, containment, anagram, juxtaposition, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated … Read more >>
Gemelo No. 27 – Spooner or Letter
Arguably the best Gemelo yet, with devices that do not just display the setter’s ingenuity but also challenge the solver.
Everyman 4,143
The puzzle may be found (behind a paywall) in interactive form at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4143 ,or as a pdf at https://cdn.slowdownwiseup.co.uk/media/documents/obs.everyman.20260315.pdf.
Everyman 4,142
Another solid offering from Everyman.
Gemelo 26
Gemelo is now well into his series of Observer puzzles.
Azed No. 2,777 – Plain
How splendid to blog another Azed.
Everyman 4.141/1 March
Everyman is on a good run at the minute, I think. Another tractable crossword with a variety of clue types and the usual trademark constructions.
Everyman 4,140
A pleasant Everyman, not too difficult; sound so far as I can see, except for one minor thing that’s mentioned in the blog. There are the usual Everyman trademarks: the first letters &lit, the rhyming pair, the self-referential clue. Maybe some others but I can’t see them.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, hidden, containment, anagram, juxtaposition, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.
Gemelo No. 25 – plain
Gemelo educates and entertains.
Everyman 4,139
The puzzle may be found at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4139 in the interactive form, or at https://cdn.slowdownwiseup.co.uk/media/documents/obs.everyman.20260215.pdf as a pdf.