A nice solid puzzle in this issue.
Not too hard, except for the last clue – funny how it’s always the last clue solved that’s tricksiest.
Most was filled in on the first pass, but a couple resisted till the end.
Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 29,625 by Enigmatist (22 February 2025)
Last week Eileen wrote of the ‘delight’ of landing an Arachne puzzle to blog, ‘especially on a Saturday, when there’s more time to savour it‘. This week it was more like the dread in the pit of the stomach on finding one has an Enigmatist! But at least it is a Saturday, so I should have plenty of time to struggle through it…
Listener 4854 Pickle by Skylark
It was good to see Skylark again, one of the very few lady setters. Literary themes are one of her specialities and we were going to be hunting for a book title in … Read more >>
Guardian 29,630 / Brockwell
It’s over a year since I last blogged a puzzle by Brockwell, so I was very pleased to see his name this morning. There’s a nicely varied set of clues, with neat constructions … Read more >>
Financial Times 17,987 by ZAMORCA
A fun puzzle from ZAMORCA today. Thanks to the setter for dishing out a treat.
Independent 11978 / Phi
Independent puzzles on a Friday are usually set by Phi and today is no exception.
Guardian Cryptic 29,629 by Brummie
Tricky in parts and an enjoyable solve – my favourites were 20ac, 21ac, 24ac, and 20dn. Thanks to Brummie
Independent 11,977 by Brunel
Brunel has provided a lot of Sunday puzzles lately, but is now back in a weekday slot.
Financial Times 17,986 by JASON
Jason is today's setter.
Enigmatic Variations No.1682 – Triple Change by Kruger
“In ten clues, part or all of the definition has had a letter added and the result jumbled, sometimes creating additional wordage. These clues need to be reconstructed before solving and then the ten extra letters arranged to describe how the answers to these clues are to be treated before (to complete the TRIPLE CHANGE) being entered at a different location in the grid. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Guardian 29,628 – Paul
A fun puzzle with the multi-light answers and cross-references that we’ve come to expect. Thanks to Paul. A number of clues feature whimsical descriptions of animals in their wordplay. We have MOOER (cow), … Read more >>
Independent 11,976 by Eccles
It’s Wednesday and it’s Eccles.
Financial Times 17,985 by GUY
A treat to see GUY on a Wednesday.
Modern Life is Good-ish
Many of you will be familiar with Bluth in The Independent, Fed in The Guardian and Django in The Telegraph.
Independent 11,975 / Tees
Tees has provided our cruciverbal entertainment today, which is theme day, of course. I very much enjoyed solving and blogging today’s puzzle, which I found to be towards the easier end of the … Read more >>