Independent on Sunday 995 by Quixote (8 Mar 2009)
Solving time, 19 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 8 LAP IDA TED pal< Archaic word meaning ‘pelted with stones’ that I worked out from the wordplay, verifying after. 9 D(rum)ROLL … Read more >>
FT 13,014 – Crux
Monday Prize Crossword on 2 March 2009 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,013 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 28 A typically fine Cincinnus puzzle is what we have here. Across 1. HOT PANTS – anagram of TOP in HANTS (where Jane Austen was … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,022 / Monk
A most enjoyable puzzle with, as is usual for Monk, some excellent surfaces. Unfortunately I am unable, as yet, to explain the wordplay in 14d. Edit: now explained by Nmsindy, see below. . . Across … Read more >>
Independent 6989 by Dac
Excellent puzzle from Dac, as usual, solving time 14 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 HALV(e) AH Pleased to work out a new word from the clear wordplay. Turkish sweetmeat … Read more >>
Guardian 24,644/Rover
Fairly typically for Rover (who I think of as a kind of Rufus-lite) this started off quite easily, but was rather spoilt for me by some vague and unsatisfactory cryptic definitions, especially 9ac. … Read more >>
Guardian 24,643 – Gordius
dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Thank goodness for crossing letters or I … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,021 / Dante
I was afraid that for my first blog I would draw a puzzle that left me stumped. No worries: this was a very straightforward offering from Dante. There were a couple of pleasing clues, … Read more >>
Independent 6,988/Virgilius
A typically nice themed puzzle from Virgilius, with the 6 outermost across and down answers linking to the 2 centre answers WATER and WATCH. I found most of this quite easy, but there … Read more >>
Guardian 24,642 – Rufus
Apologies for being a bit later than normal, I didn’t get a chance to look at today’s puzzle until around lunch. Lots of cryptic definitions today. (X) = inserted (x) = removed c.d. … Read more >>
Independent 6987 by Merlin
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def The combination of cryptic definitions and very long anagrams meant I found this quite hard going, although it was quite satisfying to get through. It seemed to … Read more >>
Azed 1918 – an enigma
An enjoyable puzzle with some interesting words but with two clues which have defeated me. Favourite clue is 11 across. Across 2 COMPTE RENDU MP in COTE, which is an old word for … Read more >>
Guardian 24,635 (Sat 28 Feb)/Enigmatist – Elbow grease
Solving time: 16:38 An enjoyable puzzle for Enigmatist’s first prize crossword of 2009. I had a good start but found it difficult to finish off. After solving I noticed the perimeter message (‘not … Read more >>
Guardian 24,640 – Brendan
This blog was accidentally published early – apologies if it looked a little incomplete! A really enjoyable puzzle, with a few very closely interwoven themes/clues that kept me going. ” = homophone < … Read more >>
Independent 6,985/Phi
Busy half-day for me today, so I’ll need to be brief. A tougher-than-usual Phi I thought, with impressive use of multiple grid entries for double-word clues intersecting in the grid. I fell down … Read more >>