Placeholders
Following on from the non-appearance of a post on an Araucaria puzzle this week, we’re going to start using placeholders. This is how it will work: Either a full post or a placeholder … Read more >>
Inquisitor 66 ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK by Phi
What an excellent puzzle, almost ruined by poor proof reading! Editor please note!! First the moans: Wrong word length for 1A – to be consistent with the other clues with unchecked blanks it should … Read more >>
Guardian 24,358/Araucaria – Roma and Firenza
I saw Eileen’s plea in puzzle G24359 comments and agree with her – this puzzle needs a blog – and made some notes. Then Real Life got in the way. Then I saw … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,738 (Bradman)
Yesterday Cinephile, today Bradman – it’s been an interesting couple of days. Some rather odd words in here! Across 9 BALALAIKA: BALA (Welsh Lake) + LAIKA (dog breed) 10 SCHWA: SA (salvation army) … Read more >>
Independent 6703/Punk
Across 1 (THE LAW)* in LEAP,ON – LETHAL WEAPON. 9 KIN,IS,G,ZED – I always think KIN whenever I see “family” so I got this fairly quickly. 10 SINUS – the wordplay seems to … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 947 by Quixote (06 Apr 2008)
Solving time 13 mins. A long quote which might have made all the difference as I knew it and entered it first time round. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 6 CHOR … Read more >>
Guardian 24359/Arachne – take a gander at this
A clue or two hinting that the setter is a woman. Which I knew already. I wonder a bit about 16D and I think I’m right about 11D (a first for me recognizing … Read more >>
Azed 1870
Solving time 27 mins without books, then about 20 mins with Chambers to clear up the resulting mess. Doing Azed without books is an interesting challenge but sometimes you invent a word that … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,728 by Cinephile — What the Dickens?
Cinephile frequently does themed puzzles and works his themes in many different ways. Here we have the gentlest of themes: three clues that refer to the Dickens novel “The Old Curiosity Shop”. Across … Read more >>
Independent 6702 / Dac Pleasant Stuff
This blog is brought to you you in association with the NHS – caring for you every day! Well that will teach me! Out on the town with the Sloggers and Betters and I … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,737 (Cinephile)
Across 1 PIKESTAFF: as plain as a, and ‘fishing rod’ 6 FOCAL: anagram of CALF O (love) 10 MARIJUANA: JUAN (John) in MARIA (Miriam) 11 GRUB STREET: GRUBS (foods) + TREET (sounds like … Read more >>
Independent 6701/Nimrod
Heavens what an effort. After a long time I’d done very little, and really thought that I’d have to cheat and look at the website, but eventually it all worked out, although there … Read more >>
Financial Times / 12736 by Armonie
I took a little more than an hour to complete this puzzle which I would rate as ‘above-average’ in difficulty. My entering one or two wrong answers initially did not help matters. I … Read more >>
Sloggers and Betters 4 – The Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/fifteensquared Edit: as Rishi points out in his comments, the photos could do with some captions to identify who’s who. Anyone can add a comment to any photo so if you recognise someone or … Read more >>
Guardian 24,357 (Gordius)
Straightforward enough except for 26ac which took me ages to sort out and may well be wrong. Across 1 SHAMROCK: SHAM + ROCK 5 ACCORD: ACCORD(ion) losing I and ON, one and on … Read more >>