A sparkling offering from Paul.
Guardian 25,711 by Araucaria
You may have noticed that Eileen has been a bit quiet recently, she’s away and asked me to stand in for her, I half expected an Enigmatist… Actually I’ve never completed … Read more >>
Financial Times no.14,078 by LOROSO
A tough struggle for me, this one; no-one likes to be faced with Aztec charades and 19-letter anagrams first thing in a morning. But I got there in the end. Some very nice … Read more >>
Independent 8056 / Anax
This is the first daily Anax puzzle that I have blogged. I have blogged a couple of his Saturday prize puzzles in the past. It seemed a slightly odd puzzle, … Read more >>
Guardian 25,710 – Gordius
Yesterday’s puzzle from Paul would be a hard act to follow for any setter, and Gordius (not one of my favourite setters, as regular readers will know) suffers in comparison. Most of this … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,069 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword/Jul 30 A Dante crossword that can be found here (in case one needs a reminder of the grid). On the whole Dante’s on a par with himself, even though there was … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,068 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 28, 2012 This was a fine if perhaps undistinguished Cincinnus. I especially like 2D (PARODISTS), 14D (EMPATHISED) and 6D (INORDINATE). Across 1. TIPPET – TIPPET[t] … Read more >>
Independent 8055/Dac
As usual … Does Dac ever depart from his high standards? Across 1 W AVER 4 MISS (JUL 1) E{uropean} — the play by Strindberg 9 ARNOLD BAX — {p}a{t}r{o}n old “backs” 10 … Read more >>
Financial Times 14,077 by Dogberry
Smooth surfaces, witty definitions and sound clues. I thought this was straightforward and accessible without ever being dull. I suspect this is much harder to achieve than it sounds. Thank you Dogberry. I … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1240: Solve for X and Y by Gila
The preamble told us: In x clues, there is a misprint of one letter in the definition. The correct letter is y places back alphabetically. In y clues, the wordplay generates the answer … Read more >>
Financial Times 14076 Armonie
Considerably less difficult than the last Armonie I blogged. Still, I got nowhere starting from the NW, which I normally do, and instead had to work from the SE. Good fun – some … Read more >>
Independent 8054 / Punk
Surprisingly, this is our first blog of a Punk puzzle. We’ve always enjoyed his quirky and sometimes slightly risqué cluing, and this was a good example, if perhaps not the best we’ve come … Read more >>
Guardian 25708 – Orlando
All Quiet on the Eastern Front – the grandchildren have returned to London, bringing their grandmother along as well. So Uncle Yap is Alone Again Naturally . Before I get started on the puzzle, let me first … Read more >>
Independent 8053 by Quixote
I found this quite a bit tougher than Quixote usually is, solving time 38 mins. Very enjoyable puzzle – esp liked 27A, 8D and 20D. * = anagram ACROSS 1 BEARINGS a R … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 25707 Rufus
The 25down Rufus Monday mix of mainly double and cryptic definitions, but all compactly clued, and, though easy, enjoyable to tackle. Thanks Rufus. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[Each of the pictures at … Read more >>