Financial Times 13,381 – Crux
Monday Prize Crossword on 10 May 2010 A gentle start to the FT week is always guaranteed by the Monday prize crossword. Very fair. ACROSS 1 MAISONETTE *(no estimate) 7 CODE C (circa … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,380 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 8 My favourite clues in this puzzle are 9A (WENDY), 25A (BOW STREET) and 16D (WORKMATES). Across 1. SOMEHOW – anagram of HOME in SOW … Read more >>
Independent 7360/Dac
As usual, an immaculate little crossword from Dac, with elegant well-constructed clues. The explanation of one of the answers defeats me, but it will almost certainly be immediately made clear. (As I did … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,389 / Io
Some tricky clues today, with one (12ac) that I cannot fully explain. Unusually for an FT puzzle there is a Nina. The left and right columns, taken together, read THE OUTSIDE EDGE. I am … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1125 – Disaster by Schadenfreude
Solving time: about 1 hour In this puzzle, which “depicts an historic event”, the gimmick is that “When the clue answers have been entered, some squares will be empty. In the final grid … Read more >>
Guardian 25,014 – Bonxie
The first Bonxie I’ve blogged is also the first time I’ve seen 3dn, 18dn or 22ac. Everything else was mostly straightforward, but I did have to guess and google 3 and 22 in … Read more >>
Sloggers and Betters 6
The next “Sloggers and Betters” gathering for crossword setters and blog contributors and readers will take place in London next Thursday, 27th May, following on from the annual lunch for Times setters. It … Read more >>
Independent 7359 by Virgilius
Another excellent puzzle from the master, as usual with a theme underlying it, I refer to this following the clue explanations. Solving time, 28 mins, of which the last 8 were trying to … Read more >>
Guardian 25,013 – Gordius
A fair-to-middling offering from Gordius with the expected hard-boiled eggs here and there; but nothing that can give serious indigestion. There are, however, a few flashes of brilliance like 4Down which would have … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,388 / Jason
Unusual, but pleasant, to see a theme in a Tuesday FT. For a moment I was afraid that a few clues would leave me in limbo, but I did a jig when the … Read more >>
Independent 7358 by Tees
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism A very good puzzle by Tees which didn’t give me too many problems. As ever with Tees, there was a sprinkling of cultural references, … Read more >>
Guardian 25012 / Rufus
Lots of excellent clues in today’s Rufus. I made quite heavy weather of this by getting 10a wrong, mispelling 23d and not knowing 12a, but I think it should have been straightforward. Across … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,055 (09/05/10)
Back down to earth with a bump for me, after doing very well indeed the last couple of weeks. There’s a fair bit in here that I can’t explain, and even a bit … Read more >>
Everyman No. 3319 (9th May)
Lorraine: Another nice Everyman – unusual as RETSINA appeared two weeks ago. Nick: Sorry for late publication – I was to put this up after yesterday’s FA Cup final, but got drunk and … Read more >>
Azed 1980: Jigsaw
I usually enjoy a jigsaw, because I like the way that progress accelerates once you crack a critical step. In this case, that step was the realisation that, of the two 11-letter solutions, … Read more >>