Azed 2758

A new proprietor, a new interactive interface, but the same reliable Azed. It feels as if there are fewer familiar words than usual, but despite that I managed to fill the grid fairly quickly. On the other hand, some of the parsing was a bit tricky, with 32 down proving elusive until the 11th hour. Thanks to Azed for the puzzle, and best wishes to those attending the lunch in Oxford today yesterday, which I’m I was sadly unable to attend on this occasion.

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Everyman 4,097/27 April

New owner, same crossword, same setter … a big day for The Observer, but what looks like for now the same Everyman crossword that has been in the paper for the last 80 years, compiled by a number of setters but always intended as a tractable Sunday cryptic. Who knows if things will change, but for now let’s see what this week’s puzzle had to offer.

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Guardian Easter Special Prize Cryptic Crossword No 29,673 set by Maskarade (19 April 2025)

They say that ‘all good things come to those who wait‘ and, after nearly four years and 46 Saturday Prize Grauniad blogs, I finally get to be on duty for an Easter Bank Holiday special! In recent years this has become pretty much the exclusive domain of Maskarade, who specialises in thematic jumbos/double grids, often with ‘jigsaw’ clues…and this one is no exception…

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