FT 12,835/Adamant – “We are (mildly) amused”
At the risk of unintentionally damning with faint praise, I’d describe this as a pretty run-of-the-mill challenge today. A couple of clues stood out for me (e.g. 14A) and 25A was the only … Read more >>
Daily Telegraph and Enigmatic Variations puzzles
As some of you might know there used to be a blog like this one dedicated to the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword. Since its demise a few people have asked if we would … Read more >>
Guardian goes free
The Guardian crossword site currently states the following Guardian crosswords are going free From September 1 you will be able to access all of the Guardian’s crosswords online for free. As a result … Read more >>
Independent 6800 by Phi
Themed puzzle based on 24. When I saw HAWK hidden in the 2nd across clue, 6, I went straight to 24, and worked out BIRD. Bullet-proof clueing as always from Phi. I worked … Read more >>
Guardian 24,456/Orlando
This was fairly straightforward and enjoyable; I started off racing through it until a few very clever clues and unfamiliar phrases slowed me down. A few of the clues made me smile – … Read more >>
Independent 6795/Nimrod (26-07-08)
Across 1 JACK,INK<,FED 10 (A QUIET COVE)* – EQUIVOCATE. “Divers” is the misleading anagram indicator here as it’s another spelling of “diverse”. 11 SU(NB)ED 14 PETER SELLERS? – haven’t the faintest idea if … Read more >>
Inquisitor 82 GIVE AND TAKE by Lato
Loved this puzzle! Great stuff from Lato. I (HI) can’t take much credit for solving it though. A weekend’s windsurfing left me exhausted physically and in no state mentally to tackle some very … Read more >>
Guardian 24,455/Araucaria – Toil and Trouble
Raced through a few easier clues, and then struggled a bit with this. Eventually got the four longer references to 22 (RHYME) around the edges of the grid, which helped a little. Had … Read more >>
Independent 6799/Mordred
An impressive puzzle where every clue has a sporty feel to it (although 2 and 3 seem to be stretching things a bit). Some very clever stuff here and more than one excellent … Read more >>
FINANCIAL TIMES, no.12834 set by SATORI, July 31 2008
A WEEDY PADDOCK This one gave me a few headaches, particularly the word play of 30a, and SATORI led me cleverly astray in a few clues. ACROSS 1. RESIST – (‘rest’- to include … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 963 by Quixote (27 Jul 2008)
Solving time, just under 20 mins. * = anagram < = reversed 1 DISSEMBLANCE SE in (Lib Dems can)* 9 L EASE L END Usually known as Lend-Lease but both alternatives are in … Read more >>
FINANCIAL TIMES 12,824 by Mudd (19 July)
Perhaps slightly harder to get into than some FT crosswords but once started there were no major difficulties, apart from 26a which took me a while to see the wordplay even though the answer … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,825 – Dante
From FT Monday Prize Crossword 21st July 2008 dd = double definition cd = cryptic definition rev = reversed or reversal ins = insertion cha = charade ha = hidden answer *(fodder) = … Read more >>
Independent 6798/Dac
One or two I’m not quite sure about but a typically high-class thing from Dac. Across 1 BAND AGED 6 PAGODA – I think this is (do gap)rev. a, although I’m not sure. … Read more >>
FINANCIAL TIMES 12,833 by IO
The on-line image was smaller than usual today and I couldn’t read some of the clues either on-screen or when printed out (normal size or enlarged) so I had to actually buy a … Read more >>