Never knowingly undersolved
Solving time: 35 mins, 3 mistakes (ZEND, YAWL and COMPRADOR). This was a tough and enjoyable ‘Araubetical’ with a well-constructed grid and about the right amount of obscurity for a prize puzzle. I … Read more >>
Just as Wednesdays wouldn’t be the same without a bit of Dac, so Friday = Phi day. Great stuff as ever with some excellent anagrams. Across 9 BORACIC – CAR rev. in BO … Read more >>
Quite straightforward except a few clues in the top-right. Clues for compound words/phrases in this puzzle (1A, 10A, 28A, 5D, for example) split the answer along its natural join. Some of these clues … Read more >>
A very enjoyable week, with some really nice anagrams. For my own part, I managed all but 13ac unaided, which may be a record for me, yet that one eluded me due to … Read more >>
Another very tricky puzzle to finish off the week. The many cross-references and multiple-entry answers made it hard to get started, and even after getting some of the key answers it didn’t get … Read more >>
Sat 13th Feb was the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver so I was not surprised to find this was the main theme of the puzzle. This meant I could fill … Read more >>
Some answers have a letter shifted before entry, and these letters spell out the name of a group. The members of the group form a number of other entries, but the answers to … Read more >>
Something of a class reunion for a lot of old friends here today (10A, 12A, 23A, 1D, 15D, 19D). On a related note, I did feel an unexpected twinge of childhood nostalgia courtesy … Read more >>
We were glad of a slightly trickier puzzle this weekend, as we tackled this one on a lengthy rail replacement bus service. Once again, we’re embarrassed that our name erroneously indicates some kind … Read more >>
Enjoyable puzzle with some testing clues.
This is one of the first Thursday puzzles I’ve ever blogged, and I was a bit uneasy, knowing that some of the more user-friendly setters were not due. Would this be something by … Read more >>
Monday Prize Crossword on 8 February 2010 Dante returns with another gentle week-opener full of smooth clues and slick definitions. ACROSS 1 SPRANG Ins of RANG (telephoned) in SP (starting prices, the odds) … Read more >>
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 6 Mudd gives us some jolly good double definitions here (notably 5A, 21A, 29A, 20D and 21D) but my choice for best clue is the … Read more >>
Not sure if Wednesday would be quite the same without a Dac Indy puzzle. This, as always, was great, particularly liked the surface readings. Turned out to be quite a easy one for … Read more >>
We get roughly a puzzle a month from Brummie in the Guardian, so I think I end up doing more of his Private Eye puzzles (as Cyclops) overall and it’s good fortune to … Read more >>