Independent 6823/Nimrod
Something of a rarity for me: a Nimrod puzzle where I understand every clue! Across 1 (FILM DUO AT)* in SIGHT – STADIUM OF LIGHT. Quite a tricky one to parse: “originally directing” … Read more >>
Guardian 24,479/Pasquale
Another great crossword from The Don. I find he pitches them just right for daily cryptics – this wasn’t really tough but did require switching on the rusty old brain cells for some … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 967 by Quixote (24 Aug 2008)
Solving time, 16 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 COME TO LIGHT Definition: be revealed Moths seek the light 7 A MASS Mass is another Indy setter 8 COUNT LESS … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,848 – Cincinnus
From FT Saturday Prize Puzzle on 16 August 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,849 – Dante
From Monday Prize Crossword 18 August 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = anagram … Read more >>
FT 12,857/Dogberry
A liberal smattering of general knowledge items (operas, chess players, Roman poets), of the type that one is either likely to know readily or have never heard of. I started off at a … Read more >>
Guardian 24,478 (Quantum)
Across 1 IGNITION KEY: & Lit 9 OCTOBER: O + (TO BE in CR) 10 ERASURE: ERA + anagram of USER 11 WHIRLWIND: HIRL (sounds like ‘hurl’) in W-WIND 12 SISAL: anagram of … Read more >>
Independent 6822/Dac
The usual excellent crossword from Dac, hard enough (it took a while to get started), but not too hard. Everything, apart from one answer, went in slowly but regularly. Across 1 MALAGA — … Read more >>
Independent 6,821/Virgilius – Numbers game
This was a belter of a puzzle, with every clue containing the word ‘number’. The fact that this word can be interepreted in, ahem, a number of different ways (quantity, music, anaesthetic, etc.), … Read more >>
Guardian 24,477 – Araucaria
A bit later than normal today sorry, I had noticed I was meant to be solving on Tuesday but had internalised this as ‘the second day of the week’, which the Bank Holiday … Read more >>
Financial Times 12856 / Quark
I completed left top corner first and then the right top. At the end of the allotted time, some gaps existed in the left bottom corner (22a, 29a, 18d). 26d was also yet … Read more >>
Guardian 24,469 (Sat 16 Aug)/Taupi – Leave of absence
Solving time: Forgot to write down, but about 8 minutes I think This is my first blog for a few weeks, so thank you very much to bridgesong and Uncle Yap who have … Read more >>
Independent 6820 by Hypnos
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed I found this very difficult, particularly the bottom right hand corner. There were two or three I didn’t understand and a few obscure words (tosh, lig) that I hadn’t come … Read more >>
Guardian 24,476/Rufus
A straightforward Rufus for Bank Holiday Monday. A couple of nice cryptic definitions, and a couple more I’m not so keen on. Key: dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition * = … Read more >>
Azed 1890 – Placeholder
I’ll be back a bit later today with the blog on this puzzle.