Independent 6498 by Merlin
A very pleasing puzzle, which I found quite easy. Solving time: 22 mins * = anagram < = reverse ACROSS 9 OVERT RUMP Ruff (a term from the card game bridge, I … Read more >>
Financial Times 12536/Armonie
Just a short blog for this puzzle as many of the clues don’t really need much explaining. One thing you could never accuse Armonie of is unnecessary complexity in his clueing as the … Read more >>
Guardian 24155 Brendan
This didn’t take me very long, and was short on elation in the solving. Across 9 C EASE F IRE C for constant, ire is anger, ease is to moderate and f for … Read more >>
Sloggers and Betters 3 – a pub and meal evening
As older readers will know, we’ve had a couple of evening meetings at London pubs for contributors to and readers of this blog, Times for the Times and Tony Sever’s RTC3. Both times, we’ve also … Read more >>
Guardian 24,154, Rufus: That’s neat that’s neat
My favourite clues combine Rufus’s trademark cryptic definitions with wordplay, so as to keep you guessing for longer – 5 and 11 across require unravelling, whereas 17 across couldn’t be anything else. ACROSS: … Read more >>
Independent 6497/Morph
Across 9 (+M)OBS,TER(-M) – an “obsolete expression” would be an OBS TERM. Move the back (M) to the front to get MOBSTER. 10 TO(Y for P)SHOP – I initally thought the fashion retailer … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 345 – Two places down under …
… and two erections that were not “up” – giving the lie to my pronouncement a few weeks ago that “erection” often means “up” in the Eye puzzle. Some good examples in here … Read more >>
Everyman 3175/Gretna
Nice to be welcomed by a fairly straightforward puzzle to ease myself back into cryptic solving – having been on a diet of Les Mots Croises for the past couple of weeks. Scotland … Read more >>
Guardian 24,147 (Sat 4 Aug)/Taupi – Lowlights
Solving time: 10:16 A really good puzzle this week and much more accurate than normal for the Guardian, with some very elegant clues and clever definitions. Should have been faster but for ‘phenomenal’ … Read more >>
Inquisitor 31 – On a swim by Kruger
Solving time: ages! The only previous Kruger puzzle I remember was about No. 6 in the Inquisitor series, based on the Offa’s Dyke footpath and associated places – one that I found pretty … Read more >>
Independent 6495 by Phi
Tough: Solving time: 34 mins * = anag < = reversed ACROSS 1 DE (BRIe) EF Feed< 5 POL(IT)ICe 9 FR (l)ITTERED Excellent 10 Oliver TWIST Ditto 12 BOS (TO)NIAN 25 LEV (IATH) … Read more >>
Guardian 24152/Puck – breezy
Not the easiest puzzle to return to from France. Puck and Paul must have gone to the same school of cryptic wizardry if their senses of humor are anything to go by. The … Read more >>
Independent 6490/Phi (04-08-07)
Across 1 PIP in BLOWE(r) 5 TOLD,DO – not a phrase I’d ever come across before but not a tricky one to get from the wordplay. 9 (TELE(-v)ISED)* 10 SILVER – SLIVER with … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,533/Sleuth
My first Sleuth puzzle but I’ve solved a few by the same setter as Hypnos in the Independent. This was a reasonably gentle solve with some nice touches here and there. One query … Read more >>
Beelzebub/Columba 911 29-07-07
The Beelzebub puzzle, published in the magazine section of the Independent on Sunday, is currently set by two setters: Phi does three a month and Columba does one. Columba used to be a … Read more >>