Azed 1970 – Plain
A reasonably difficult puzzle for me, taking about an hour, with Chambers used a lot. I think part of the difficulty was not getting 1A or 13D quickly. Azed seems to have errred … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 903: Crews by Piccadilly
Piccadilly has set puzzles for all the series, although the last five years has seen him (Mick Willey) setting for Enigmatic Variations. He is also that rare beast, someone who sets both word … Read more >>
Guardian 24,945 (Sat 27 Feb)/Araucaria – Eton mess
Solving time: Fail. The theme here was American states, of which there are an impressive 12 in the grid (plus references to more in the clues), but this was easy to spot and … Read more >>
Guardian 24,950 / Arachne
Lots to enjoy in this crossword, I thought – in particular some good anagrams. I think it should have all been pretty straightforward, except for perhaps 19 across (which I really liked, though) … Read more >>
Independent 7296 by Phi
Usual excellent puzzle from Phi, solving time 32 mins. * = anagram < = reversed Themed, NW corner I found the hardest. ACROSS 1 LAM Back Theme of the puzzle, was 4A (MEATS) … Read more >>
Beelzebub 1,045 (28/02/10)
A tough week, I found, so no danger of getting far without Chambers. Still an enjoyable challenge as always. *=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Across 1 SCOTCH MIST – SCOT … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,326 / Bradman
As always, an entertaining, challenging puzzle from Bradman. Required plenty of research/help to get this finished. Some lovely clues in here, and one that I cannot fully explain (24A). Across 1 MADAME ME … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1114 – Two Dozen by Loda
We found this a very interesting and entertaining crossword. I (Hi) found it easy to start, but difficult to finish – the opposite of my normal experience! Twelve across clues had to be … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,325 / Aardvark
A well-crafted tour through a variety of avenues of general knowledge today. We seem to cover everything from military history to folklore and geology, by way of a healthy dose of geography along … Read more >>
Independent 7,291 by Phi (Saturday Prize Puzzle, 27/02/10)
I seem to have got off lightly after some of the toughies we’ve had on recent Saturdays, which I’ve really struggled with. This, by stark contrast, didn’t put up much of a fight … Read more >>
Guardian 24,949 / Brendan
I consider myself very fortunate in drawing this one, as I blogged the last Brendan. There’s the usual witty and clever cluing and enough cross-reference to add interest, without making it too easy. … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1046 by Quixote – 28th Feb 2010
We polished this one off in the Bridge in Topsham, with pints of Branoc and hot pasties. What a wonderful afternoon. Found this easier than the previous puzzle, the vocab in this puzzle … Read more >>
Independent 7,295 by Mordred
An interesting one this, I think – neither too hard nor too easy, though for several the answer came more easily than the explanation. There’s a Nina across the third and antepenultimate rows … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,316 – Dante
Monday Prize Crossword from 22 February 2010 Another smooth offering from the slick Dante. Very suitable for beginners to this delightful pastime of solving cryptic crosswords. ACROSS 1 NUDISM *(undies minus E) + … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,315 by Cinephile
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 20 The top-left corner of this puzzle took me a while. I especially like 21D. Across 1. HECUBA – HE-CUB (young male) + A (a) … Read more >>