Azed 1823 / Outrageous!
Solving Time: around an hour and 15 minutes (in two sittings) Azed’s Monthly puzzle for May was a Plain puzzle with a short word to clue. Finding a starting point is sometimes tricky … Read more >>
Everyman 3163/Tuscany and Fairbanks
Solving time: 20′ Another rather fast solve for me… though spent a couple of minutes at first staring until the first clue (EVITA) succumbed. VP Spiro Agnew shows up again, proving that he’s … Read more >>
Guardian 24,075 (Sat 12 May)/Brummie – Mistaken identity
Solving time: 8:28 This was a lot easier than most Guardian prize crosswords, with few difficult words and the ones there were deduceable from the wordplay. The Guardian Crossword website front page claims … Read more >>
Independent 6423 by Phi – Sumer is icumen in
Harder than usual for Phi – especially because of the title above. Solving time: 34 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 CUT BOTH WAYS 7 PHI Hidden 12 J zEALOUS 17 MA CU … Read more >>
Independent 6418 / Nimrod – what a carry-on!
Solving time 13:40 Overseas or younger solvers will have struggled with this, but for fans of 50s/60s British comedy, it was a very good solve and full of nostalgia as you’ll see. There … Read more >>
Guardian 24,080 by Taupi: Tea-tastic
A pretty fiendish puzzle. Trying circumstances for me, 10 minutes on a crowded tube followed by 20 over lunch approx, but I found this one very tough going, with a lot of quite advanced tricks. Vocab … Read more >>
Inquisitor 19 – Handiwork by Ploy
Solving time: an hour or so Approached with trepidation, having downed a convivial pint or two with Ploy at Sloggers and Betters 2, but also having missed the final step in his “Travelling … Read more >>
Guardian 24079/Arachne
I don’t think I’ve come across Arachne before, but I enjoyed the puzzle. The clues were mostly fair, although some were quite tricky and four living people – all politicians – appeared in … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday by Quixote – 900 up!
It’s celebrated in the first clue. Some unfamiliar words made it a little harder than sometimes for me. Congrats to Quixote on reaching this landmark. If an anorak wishes to probe why the … Read more >>
Independent 6422/Nimrod
After a long day at work documenting code I just wasn’t ready for a Nimrod puzzle. It finally defeated me a few minutes ago when I used TEA to check the last but … Read more >>
Guardian 24078/Paul – rearends
Just some quick notes about this puzzle written up a day after I solved (and re-solved!) the puzzle. Quite a few clever Pauline (not Paulene!) fun and games. Some post-post editing thanks to … Read more >>
Independent 6421/Dac
Quite a cavalier sort of solve with this one – a few clues filled in without completely understanding them, anagrams guess-timated rather than properly worked out – but luckily no mistakes. Would have … Read more >>
Independent 6420/Virgilius
Done in a slightly distracted fashion as I was in a soft play centre for children with half an eye on a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. Slick as ever from Virgilius without a … Read more >>
Guardian 24077/Rover – whimsical
Solving time: 30’ Quite a few whimsical and cryptic allusions. I didn’t really enjoy this puzzle but probably because I’m a bit burnt out having just done The Times as well (“it’s not … Read more >>
Guardian 24076 / Rufus – Straightforward start to the week
Solving time: 13 minutes A straightforward start to the week from one of the masters of the cryptic definition. Nothing too troublesome, although a tiny grumble for the purists might be he use … Read more >>