I finally managed to acquire a copy of Chambers Dictionary (2016), which made completing this puzzle immeasurably easier . . .
Azed
Azed No. 2,634 Plain – Competition Puzzle
A slow burner for me.
Azed 2633
A higher-than-usual proportion of unfamiliar words in this one, I think, which tends to increase the difficulty. A satisfying challenge as always – thanks to Azed. Across 1 U-SHAPED Scottish expert bagging … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,632 Plain
A nice plain from Azed with the usual sound clues. In one or two places I’m a bit doubtful but that’s very possibly me. In his latest slip he mentions that some people find the 11×13 grid (as here) often a bit easier to solve that the usual 12×12.
I used to blog Azed’s crosswords some years ago and seem to remember making the same remark then: the actual wordplay is usually fairly simple; the difficulty lies in the extraordinary words, which I have usually not explained.
Definitions underlined in crimson. Anagram indicators in italics.
Azed No. 2,631 Plain
A straightforward plain puzzle from Azed this week, with just one clue leaving me a little baffled.
Azed 2630
The first Azed puzzle of the month is usually a competition puzzle. Sometimes it is also presented in a non-standard format. Today we have what many consider to be the most difficult variation … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,629 Plain
This is my first outing blogging the venerable Azed.
Azed No. 2,628 Plain
An accessible plain puzzle from Azed.
Azed 2627
A reasonably testing Azed, though sound and clear in retrospect as usual. I have a minor quibble about the definition in 24d, but that might be my ignorance. Thanks to Azed. Across … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,626 Plain
An eclectic selection of words in this week’s puzzle.
Azed No. 2,625 Plain – Competition Puzzle
A 13 x 11 grid for this month’s competition puzzle.
Azed 2624 – Right and Left
A special from Azed this week where he gives us one of his ‘Right and Left’ puzzles. The clue at 1 across holds everything together and determines the right and … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,623 Plain
I found it harder than usual to get started on this, but once I had a few crossers it all started to fall into place. Thank you Azed.
Azed No. 2,622 Plain
A typical Azed plain puzzle.
Azed 2621
Quite a few non-English words (only some of which are Scottish) in this one, but not too high up the hardness scale, as far as I remember. Thanks to Azed. Across 1 … Read more >>