Independent 7,353 by Radian
It feels like a while since I tackled, let alone blogged, a Radian. This was characteristically inventive and good fun. For me the top half seemed toughest, though spotting the Nina in the … Read more >>
Guardian 25,007 / Rover
Uncle Yap is away enjoying himself so I have the opportunity to cover a Guardian puzzle at leisure, rather than rushing at the last minute when someone fails to turn up. Unfortunately there … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,382 / Hamilton
Some clever ideas from this setter, but also several clues that I had issues with (or, perhaps, that I misunderstood). Across 1 GOOD-FOR-NOTHING GOOD (honesty) FOR NOTHING (to no avail). How is “honesty” a definition … Read more >>
Independent 7352 / Punk
NealH has business commitments today so I agreed to stand in for him, thinking that it would make a change to cover an Indy. An interesting approach today, with all the down answers … Read more >>
Guardian 25,006 / Rufus
Rufus on Monday – All’s right with the world! – as Browning didn’t say. The familiar start to the week, after two Rufusless Mondays in the last four. I said that the last … Read more >>
Azed 1979/amnesia
I completely forgot about this blog. Gaufrid kindly reminded me yesterday so I promptly forgot again. And then woke up this morning with something niggling my memory. That was about an hour and … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 416 – Detente candidate
Pack away your soapbox now. Take down your “Sod the others – Vote for Us” posters. It’s all over for now. The people have spoken and they said “Errr”. Anyway, I don’t understand … Read more >>
Everyman 3318
Some lovely surfaces and subtleties this week, and a clue type in 12/13 ac which I’m not sure I’ve seen in Everyman before (which is by no means to say that it hasn’t … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,054 (02/05/10)
Well I never, two weeks running with a correctly-filled grid and not so much as a look at Chambers. This week did feel a lot tougher than last week though, and by the … Read more >>
Guardian 24,999 (Sat 1 May)/Crucible – Potty
Solving time: 9 mins This puzzle was snooker-themed, and published to coincide with the conclusion to the snooker World Championship at the Crucible in which Neil Robertson of Australia became only the second … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.912 – Sounding by Loda
I rather enjoyed this romp. I am, as I have previously confessed, rather fond of the ways and means used by some EVs (including this one): quotations constructed from excised letters and hidden … Read more >>
Guardian 25,004 / Puck
Apologies for the late appearance of this post but the scheduled blogger appears to have gone AWOL. A fun puzzle, which was slightly different from the norm, with a number of linked clues that … Read more >>
Independent 7350/Phi
An excellent crossword from Phi, with an extremely modern phrase in it that defeated me. As for disclosing a Nina, I can’t be accused of this today, for either there isn’t one or I … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,379 / Falcon
Falcon is ideal for days when you want a smooth ride with the crossword without it getting dull. A pleasant puzzle with especially nice clue surfaces, and not much to hold one up … Read more >>
Independent 7349 by Morph
A fine puzzle, themed for General Election day in the UK. A lot of clues had political references but quite a few were nicely misleading with the answers having nothing to do with … Read more >>