Never knowingly undersolved
An enjoyable prize crossword, neatly clued. Thanks to Crux. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1 Basic floor design requires a ruler (8) PLANKING : PLAN(design,blueprint) plus(requires) KING(a ruler). Answer: A basic … Read more >>
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 7, 2012 This puzzle has a few typically impressive Cincinnus clues but also one whose workings elude me. My favourites are 24A (YEMEN), 27A (KINESIS), … Read more >>
A very enjoyable crossword, a lot easier to write the answers than to explain why they are are correct. Crosswords from Monk usually have some clever theme worked into the grid, hidden words, pangrams etc … Read more >>
As usual a thoroughly satisfactory crossword from Dac; indeed ‘satisfactory’ is to damn with faint praise. It is of course far more than satisfactory, and as always the surfaces are smooth and shiny. … Read more >>
As usual, the definition is underlined in each clue.
Augeas’s second Inquisitor puzzle, so an appropriate title? And forgive me if I’m brief – on a week’s break for Easter, just outside Hay-on-Wye. Four items have something in common, three of … Read more >>
Dante starts the FT week, after, as Rufus, starting the Guardian week yesterday, in the same style, with double and cryptic definitions and anagrams, compactly clued. Thanks Dante. Definitions are underlined in the clues. … Read more >>
A bit of a mixed bag today we feel from Scorpion. We deduced the theme fairly early on and thought that we would have to resort to the internet to work out some … Read more >>
Phew! What a tough nut to crack, taking me well over the hour, my criterion for a difficult puzzle. It did not help that the mini-theme is something which I have never seen … Read more >>
A typical Rufus, compactly clued with double and cryptic definitions mostly. I reckon there were fewer anagrams (which type of clue I find relatively easier), which is probably why I took a bit … Read more >>
A couple of surprises when I opened up this morning’s puzzle: a new setter, and a theme. I can’t ever remember there being a themed Quiptic before (although there was a hidden message … Read more >>
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A fairly standard Quixote with some nice clues. As a sceptic, I rather liked 13 down. Across 1 Trouble Spots: Tots around Roubles + … Read more >>
This crossword was unusual in two respects. It had a large number of clues: This grid design gives 32 lights and only one clue involved two lights, whereas Cyclops often creates longer answers … Read more >>
A rare, completely unaided finish for me, though I did turn to Chambers a modest number of times while preparing the blog post. It’s impressive that Beelzebub manages to vary the level of … Read more >>
Lorraine: Good morning to you all. This weeks offering was rather difficult I felt, so once again I had to enlist Nick’s help. I hope you all faired better than me. Thank you to … Read more >>