Guardian 25,793 / Boatman
I found this hard going, mostly in the parsing department. If it had been a Saturday puzzle [which it could well have been] I might have got there in the end but I … Read more >>
Never knowingly undersolved
I found this hard going, mostly in the parsing department. If it had been a Saturday puzzle [which it could well have been] I might have got there in the end but I … Read more >>
It’s Wednesday today and Dac is occupying his usual slot. Part of the joy of a Dac puzzle, for me at least, is that I know I can concentrate on simply solving the … Read more >>
Ferret’s only previous crossword in this series was 1213 earlier this year – Twenty blocks and twenty bars – and the rubric mentioned 90 degree symmetry. This time it was the more conventional … Read more >>
You will have noticed recently that the site has become slow to load or is unavailable (FTTP500). When this occurred back in January the problem was due to a couple of other websites, … Read more >>
An enjoyable puzzle by Redshank, which might well have been compiled for a certain sporting event this year, but only now published. References abound in the clues and answers. Thank you, Redshank. Definitions … Read more >>
I thought this was a wonderful crossword with clever clues, a good deal of misdirection and a wide range of wordplay constructions. I got off to a good start with … Read more >>
This is well worth waiting an extra hour for. Nicely and fairly clued mini-theme of pretty ladies. Thank you, Paul for the morning’s entertainment. Thank you, the other Paul (Drury aka PeeDee) for … Read more >>
I found this Hectence puzzle a little disappointing. Some of the constructs were on the tough side for a crossord targetted at beginners and I have previously expressed my dislike for wordplay that … Read more >>
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A fairly standard Quixote, mostly easy but with a couple of clues that held me up a little. Across 1 Castor: Cast + Or … Read more >>
A typical Rufus, with the usual helpings of cryptic and double definitions, but also (I think) rather more anagrams than usual: these and others gave me a good start, letting the rest be … Read more >>
I have had a couple of weeks of utterly manic work and have been meaning to do this blog for ages, but here we are, late Sunday and it’s not started and I’m … Read more >>
Sorry I couldn’t be with you in Derby, everyone. I hear it was an excellent day. I have also created this thread by request, so that thanks from people who were there can … Read more >>
A fairly tough week here, I think. I made a reasonably sprightly start, but soon had to reach for the dictionary. There are some cracking words in there, all the same. 14dn has … Read more >>
Lorraine: Good morning one and all, I really struggled this week, I certainly didn’t have my crossword head on at all, so Nick came to the rescue. Below, the analysis and comments are from … Read more >>
This was a standard Azed competition puzzle in that all the clues were normal, except for the one entry that has to be clued by competitiors withm their submissions. I … Read more >>