Guardian 24,229 – Paul (as late as a ScotRail train!)
Sorry for the delay in getting this to you, but at the time I had planned to write this blog, I was sitting in a cold train in snowy Aviemore because the windscreen … Read more >>
Guardian 24,229: Paul (not a blog)
No blog for this yesterday, doubtless due to unforeseen circumstances. This isn’t a blog, but I think Paul’s puzzle deserves a mention. Six of the clues were of a kind, with no further … Read more >>
Independent 6572 by Punk
A tough puzzle, I found. Was slow to get the 15-letter entries, but got all in the end. As always, some excellent clues from Punk. Solving time: 41 mins. * = anagram ACROSS … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 925 by Quixote
Mostly fairly straightforward, I found, but some tricky clues. Solving time: 18 mins. Notes on some clues below – happy to explain others if asked. ACROSS 11 RED EEM Definition is ‘deliver’ … Read more >>
Independent 6571 – Dac / Memo to Self…….
Solving Time: 15 minutes Dear Diary Woke up to doorbell ringing, stumbled downstairs and found delivery man with nice box of goodies from Amazon. New Bradford’s plus the new set of Guardian compilers’ … Read more >>
FT 12609/Cinephile
Solving time : Not sure because I got my stopwatch wrong, but it was quite long before I understood everything and even now I’m not sure about one or two. Cinephile’s crosswords tend … Read more >>
FT 12,608/Neo ~ Doone Revisited
I solved this one much later in the day than usual, which could well be the reason that it didn’t really float my boat as much as a typical Neo offering does. I … Read more >>
Guardian 24228/Enigmatist – am I a fool?
Only fools would agree to blog a puzzle with such a parochial Britcom theme. Having said that, I’ve actually seen an episode or two here and there but I had to invoke the … Read more >>
Independent 6570/Virgilius — pull the other one.
The theme for today’s Virgilius is lies, tall tales and shaggy dog stories. All the across answers are thematic and with the constraints imposed on the grid by the long themed answers there … Read more >>
Guardian 24,227, Brummie: Rhine whine
Brummie seems to be becoming more regular, which is generally to be welcomed, though I don’t think this is one of his best, and several long clues seem to me to fall into the NCD (not cryptic … Read more >>
Guardian 24226 – Rufus / Easy start to the week
Solving Time: 10 minutes Nice, pleasant start to the week. Nothing too challenging. 5 down being my last entry. ACROSS (* = ANAGRAM; (CD) = Cryptic definition; (R) REVERSAL 1 REVEAL A … Read more >>
Now we are one
It’s just occurred to me that this blog is one year old this week (I can’t remember our exact birthday; it might be the 7th). I’d like to thank bloggers and readers alike … Read more >>
Independent 6569/Glow-worm – Remember, remember…
Across 1 K in (PEARLS)*,R – SPARKLER. Got this straight off, and all of the other thematic answers followed soon after. 10/5 (LAND)* in ROMANCE – ROMAN CANDLE. The last thematic answer I … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 52: Lavatch — Here know weevil
When I first downloaded this one, it lacked a preamble. Having solved it without one (not boasting or anything!), I returned to the website, where a brief preamble had been added. The principle, … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 351 – Up or down
There are occasions when the answer to a clue is a word or its reverse, and there is nothing in the clue to indicate which. So you end up relying on crossing checking … Read more >>