Never knowingly undersolved
Another tour de force from Virgilius. Each row containing a part of the body in approximately correct order from the head to the feet. Despite this constraint, the remainder of the grid contains normal … Read more >>
Solving time: 20’ Rather fast for me for a Brendan. Though I didn’t get all the wordplays while solving and had to rely on definitions. There are a couple of themelets here (war … Read more >>
Completion Time: 11 minutes (including 3 minutes working out 10 across) Oh dear. I have thought about this long and hard, went away, downed copious coffees and medication, and came back but I … Read more >>
Ah Rufus! You either love him or hate him! I counted 11 cryptic definitions/double meaning type clues in this puzzle. I think one of my fellow bloggers commented a couple of weeks ago … Read more >>
This review is brought to you by linxit and colinblackburn. linxit writes… After a good run of completed Azeds earlier in the year I’ve gone through a bit of a bad patch lately, … Read more >>
I’m sure the 8th row of unches reading PEE (on the) IRS is unrelated to the fact that I’m in the middle of trying to do my taxes for 2006. Right? Across 4 … Read more >>
I’ve not done these before but the Genius series is monthly series in the online (only) Guardian that offers a preambled themed puzzle which doesn’t require frequent round-trips to Chambers. Yet. This month’s … Read more >>
A prize crossword and I found it trickier than a weekday with some fairly current references and well hidden definitions. As far as I can see, which is not always far in such … Read more >>
Solving time: 20:15 I was pretty slow to spot the thematic bits, which were many and crucial, so I’m not too disappointed with the time. In fact I’m pleased just to have completed … Read more >>
A pretty straightforward puzzle, with no obscure German towns or archaic words and only one two fairly minor quibbles for me. A couple of the anagrams give themselves away rather too cheaply, but Chifonie makes … Read more >>
This had everything I expect from Phi, clear precise, clues, easier wordplay to the less familiar words, everything fully understood. The extra bit was that, like some other of this week’s puzzles, there … Read more >>
This was a very frustrating puzzle for me. It appeared very easy at first, but then I hit a wall with the last six or seven clues. It wasn’t that I couldn’t work … Read more >>
I expected a Pasquale puzzle to be straightforward with good cluing, and for the most part it was. However, I had to use TEA to find the final answer, 14ac. Even with maximum … Read more >>
Fairly straightforward, with the SW corner the slowest. As always with Quixote, everything stacks up unambiguously. Solving time: 21 mins * = anagram ACROSS 8 TI PP ER Slightly unusual construction in which … Read more >>
Solving time 11:07 (if correct) A theme that kept me guessing for a while, as the crucial no. 5 didn’t fall until I’d got one of the theme answers, most of which are … Read more >>