Independent 6,869/Virgilius – In A State
A nice, relatively gentle puzzle from Virgilius. There’s a mini-theme of people who share their name with US states, one of whom – 8/12A – got the better of me, largely due to … Read more >>
Financial Times 12904 / Phssthpok
I have been blogging every Tuesday since March 2008 but this is the first time I encountered a puzzle by Phssthpok. I enjoyed solving this crossword, which is of average difficulty. At the … Read more >>
Guardian 24,525 – Chifonie
dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram Quite an enjoyable puzzle with some varied … Read more >>
Independent 6868 by Glow-worm
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone A fairly straightforward puzzle with just one I didn’t entirely follow (17 down) and one I thought seemed a bit weak (19 across). Across 1 Caterpillar: Cater + pillar … Read more >>
Guardian 24,524/Rufus
No difficulties here, apart from the ones I made for myself by initially guessing SUBSTITUTE for 3dn. A nice gentle start to the week from Rufus. Key: dd = double definition cd = … Read more >>
Azed 1898 – Challenging
Greetings Time for an occasional posting. Quite good fun from Azed this week with several witty clues and the usual smattering of obscure words. ACROSS 1 BUSHWHACKING BUSH + WHACKING (large as in … Read more >>
Guardian 24,517 (Sat 11 Oct)/Paul – Brazil nuts
Solving time: 9:51, with a whopping three mistakes (12ac, 26ac and 3dn). Very much 1-0 to the setter – I fell headlong into a beautifully-laid trap at 12ac (and shot myself in the … Read more >>
FT 12,901/Aardvark
Running slightly late today, so I’ll keep the small-talk to a minimum. If anything is unclear or dubious then please leave a message at the tone…… Across 1 DOS-A-DOS – A phrase that … Read more >>
Independent 6,866/Punk
This was a nice treat as I’m a big fan of Punk and was expecting to see Phi. I only managed a handful of clues in the first run through and worried that … Read more >>
Independent 6861/Scorpion (Prize puzzle 11-10-08)
I thought this was a fantastic puzzle: fair and clever (though sometimes complex) wordplay, amusing definitions and some very nice surfaces. Can’t ask for more than that really. Across 1 ECOL(O,G)I,CAL 7 S,KIT … Read more >>
Guardian 24,522/Quantum
I’m a bit pushed for time this morning so apologies for the rather brief comments. A mixed bag today, I thought – nothing terribly exciting, and a few cryptic definitions that I thought … Read more >>
Inquisitor 93 – REDRESS by Phi
I got the TV message straight away. REDRESS and TransVestite (not TeleVision!) indicated that we had to do some cross-dressing. The first clear example was 2 down, where the wordplay pointed to HUSONEY … Read more >>
Guardian 24,521 – Brendan
An interesting theme today, 23A is quite correct! It took me longer than I expected, mainly because the theme psyched me out a bit! * = anagram “” = homophone dd = double … Read more >>
FT 12,900 Set by Flimsy, October 16 2008
This was one of my least satisfactory days – most of the clues were straight forward and easy, but several defeated me. I am sure they are obvious to most people. Au secours!!!! … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 974 by Quixote (12 Oct 2008)
Solving time, 18 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 M UMBO J UMBO 8 B (R) ITTEN 9 EX PERT 11 TOOTHACHE Cryptic definition 12 RI OJ A (A Jo … Read more >>