Private Eye/Cyclops Crossword 373 – Tell Laura I Love Her
An enjoyable romp through this until the end when I was struggling over Laura for far too long (if you see what I mean). Across 1 LET GO (L[abourit]E GOT)* 4 CHELSEA (LECH)* … Read more >>
Azed 1893: Taking the piss
A pretty good Azed this week — it took a while to solve, because the surface reading in some clues was nicely deceptive. As for me, a seriously painful dental infection has hampered … Read more >>
Guardian 24,487 (Sat 13 Sept)/Araucaria – Haggard Asher
Solving time: 18:46, two mistakes (16ac and 6dn) Very good this week, I thought, and maybe a little harder than usual. Chambers defines ‘haggard’ as intractable and the title refers to the clue, … Read more >>
FINANCIAL TIMES 12,871 by BRADMAN
As indicated, Smiffy is tied up with work so I will offer my blog instead (I hope I haven’t trodden on his toes!) because some potential solvers may be wondering why the clues … Read more >>
Independent 6836/Punk
When people say things like “You’ve got to get on to the wavelength of the setter”, my inclination is to say “Rubbish. A cryptic is a cryptic and they all more or less … Read more >>
Independent 6831/Nimrod (06-09-08 Prize Puzzle)
Some of the slightly odd words and phrases in the grid are explained the Nina: look at the letters around the perimeter of the grid, starting from the top-left hand corner and going … Read more >>
Inquisitor 88 — OVER AND UNDER by Obtrox
Working away from home for the last couple of weeks meant doing most of this puzzle quickly last night. Some wordplay led to extra letters; some omitted letters (potentially more than one per … Read more >>
Guardian, 24492 (Brummie)
Didn’t find this easy and am still unsure about 9a Across 9 RANCOROUS: ANCOR in anagram of SOUR; but why ANCOR? (is it a homophone of ANCHOR) 12,3 WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN: WONDERFUL (modern meaning … Read more >>
Guardian 24,491 – Auster
The setter’s name doesn’t ring a bell, but I enjoyed the style. Luckily I got 5D first and was fairly confident I could get most of the linked clues but was stuck for … Read more >>
Independent 6835/Scorpion
Across 1 ASS,ASS,IN – I liked “rears” to indicate the two ASSes. 9 B(I,OP)IC – writers aren’t always people. 10 BAN< in WANE – I’m pretty sure I haven’t come across WANNABE in … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,870 set by Falcon, Sep 11th 2008
ACROSS A rather dull and obvious puzzle I am afraid – the sort where you see the answers as the sheet is coming off the printer. I have struggled to make anything interesting … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 969 by Quixote (7 Sep 2008)
Solving time, 12 mins. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 S WITCH 4 D (RAG ST) ER 9 D (ISM) AY 10 UP STREAM (master)* 12 ARETHA FRANKLIN (Enthral/irk a fan)* … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,860 by Cincinnus
I found this more challenging than the typical Cincinnus puzzle but just as enjoyable and satisfying. I failed to fathom the wordplay in one clue, 16A. I especially liked 9A, 10A, 2D and … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,861 – Dante
From Monday Prize Puzzle on 1 September 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = … Read more >>
Guardian 24,490/Araucaria
I’d only just finished Araucaria’s Saturday puzzle, which I found very hard, so I was a bit apprehensive when I saw his name again. Fortunately this one was a lot less troublesome, though … Read more >>