Independent 6979 – Phi
My first venture into blogging about the Independent, and an enjoyable puzzle to start with! Plenty of good surfaces and not too many unfamiliar words (1dn and 23ac being the only times I … Read more >>
Independent 6974/Nestor (Prize puzzle 21-02-09)
Top-notch puzzle from Nestor which, annoyingly, I was unable to finish. I really should be able to get 3 as it’s only a short word but 6 is more of a mystery. Any … Read more >>
Guardian 24,634/Arachne
A mostly enjoyable and not-difficult-for-a-Friday puzzle. A couple of strange clues with obscure but irrelevant references (10ac, 7dn) and a couple of weaknesses (18ac,9dn) Key: * = anagram < = reverse (no double … Read more >>
Inquisitor 112 Bottoms Up by Loda
Even more minimal blog as I’m on holiday. I’ve not commented on the clues but as usual Loda’s clues were very good, except 13 where there is either a mistake or I’m missing … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 850: Bells by Gioconda
Subsidiary indications in 32 clues lead to extra letters which spell out a novel and its author. The remaining ten clues lack definitions and, either alone or paired, are thematic. 22A is a … Read more >>
Independent 6,978/Punk
More enviably entertaining, inventive stuff from Mr Cryptica. There’s plenty to admire here as always, with 21A and 20D being the standouts for me. Across 1 FLIP-FLOP – A pair of double defs … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,011 / Bradman
I always enjoy one of the Don’s crosswords and this was no exception. Some clever clues and I particularly liked 28a even though it went in on the first pass. 19a, 22a, 5d, … Read more >>
Guardian 24,633 – Araucaria
An interesting theme today, and luckily for me something I managed to guess early on – I suspect it’d be somewhat impenetrable if you can’t guess what BG stands for (I’ve assumed British … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 993 by Quixote (22 Feb 2009)
I found this trickier than usual, solving time, 26 mins. RHS much harder than LHS * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 SON A TA 4 S (MASH) HIT (this)* 9 O … Read more >>
FT 13,002 – Falcon
Monday Prize Crossword on 16 February 2009 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,001 by Gozo
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 14 I don’t recall coming across Gozo before. I liked having a different sort of puzzle for a change but the nature of it made … Read more >>
FT 13,010/Dogberry
Unless my mind if failing me once more it’s been a case of “long time/no see” from Dogberry. Regardless, I found this puzzle typically 25A. Across 1 FORELOCK – cole(rev) in fork. Sounds … Read more >>
Independent 6977 by Dac
Not too difficult, I found, solving time 22 mins. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 OPUS hidden 4 Long John SILVER WAR E 10 LE AN-T O Collins confirms it can … Read more >>
Guardian 24632 / Gordius
A very rushed post today, since I’m about to get on an aeroplane, and I’m afraid that as a result I won’t be able to update it with corrections until much later. There … Read more >>
Independent 6976/Eimi
One or two that I can’t understand, but plenty of nice clues today. No doubt there is a Nina staring me in the face, but apart from several references to pans and to cakes I … Read more >>