Financial Times 12,917 by Cinephile
A pleasant solve today with some enjoyable clues, as we have come to expect from this setter, except perhaps for 8d (as noted below) and 17d (which I can’t yet explain). Why is … Read more >>
Guardian 24,538 – Rover
I rattled through this fairly quickly and have filled the grid with convincing-looking answers, but a few of the exact reasons escape me. I decided to blog it anyway rather than wait and … Read more >>
Independent 6881/Radian
Anyone would think there was some sort of election happening today… Across 6 U in (WHINED BLATHERED)* – RED WHITE AND BLUE. 9 PALIN[-g] – got this from “candidate” (and the appearance of … Read more >>
Guardian 24,537 – Gordius
dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram A challenging puzzle which nearly got me … Read more >>
Financial Times 12916 / Armonie
A good puzzle. There may be a couple of old chestnuts (e.g., 26ac) but many clues for even familiar and often-encountered words (e.g., EXPRESS) have been given a new twist. The surface reading … Read more >>
Independent 6880 by Nimrod
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone Apologies for the late posting. I was too busy at work today to give this the two or three hours of attention I would have needed to get through … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 64/Locum – The A-Team
After two very tough offerings from Paul and Brummie, this required very little genius in either solving the clues or fitting the answers into the grid. An enjoyable enough puzzle, and a clever … Read more >>
Guardian 24536 / Rufus
A very good start to the week, with lots of clues that made me smile. I think my particular favourites here were two of the three musical ones: 16 across and 25 down. … Read more >>
Azed 1900/did I miss something?
Still restricting myself to a Listener-only diet, Azed comes as a welcome relief in the advanced cryptic scheme of things. I found this puzzle to have the normal level of well-constructed clues requiring … Read more >>
Guardian 24,529 (Sat 25 Oct)/Brummie – Stoup and roup
Solving time: 9:51 A rare Saturday outing for Brummie. Nothing too difficult, although NO STRINGS, DROSOPHILA and LUTYENS probably accounted for a third of my time. I enjoyed the puzzle but thought a … Read more >>
FT 12,913/Alberich
With apologies for the tardy posting. Especially as I thought this was a really well-balanced and cohesive puzzle that merits plaudits or discussion. The surface readings in particular were what caught my eye. … Read more >>
Independent 6873/Nestor (Prize puzzle 25-10-08)
Apologies for the comparative lack of commentary – I’m a bit pushed for time today. Great puzzle, as always from Nestor. Across 1 CH(I,N)ASE,A 6 alternate letters of sPaRsElY 11 A(DO)PTER 12 NAME,NIL … Read more >>
Independent 6878/Phi
A typically nice crossword, but trickier than usual for Phi. Some long words were slow to come. Across 7 DOZE(n) 8 BOTTLENECK — I don’t really understand this — why wouldn’t you expect to find jam in … Read more >>
Guardian 24534 / Enigmatist
A remarkable grid with four 15 letter clues going down and lots of inventive and entertaining cluing… Across 8. RIBOSOME RIE (essentially bRIEf) covering BOSOM (“doing what bra does”). Ribosomes are organelles found … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 834 — Hero by Lato
My initial reading of the preamble left me confused. Were the two word unclued entries spread over two lights each or just one? The other two entries clued by extra words, were they … Read more >>