Independent 6622 (Hypnos)
There were some excellent clues in this, but I found it a little unbalanced in that I finished the across clues very quickly but was left with 6 down clues that I found … Read more >>
Guardian 24,278, Rufus: One F in Rif?
Another gentle start to the week from Rufus, with a sprinkling of mild cryptic definitions, some good anagrams, one piece of libertarianism and a bit of Maghreb blues fusion that I’m not sure quite works. Music (just … Read more >>
Private Eye/Cyclops 355 – Xmas Special
This giant (27*27) crossword offered an substantial £250 prize. This year it used the Eye’s regular Pseuds Corner column for its material and we had to find an absolutely eye-wateringly priggish piece from … Read more >>
Azed 1857: All creatures extinct and hungry
This was not officially a Printer‘s Devilry crossword, but the typesetters seem to have contrived some devilry of their own — a typo in one clue, one clue omitted altogether, and one clue … Read more >>
Guardian 24,271 (Sat 29 Dec)/Paul – Backwords compatible
Solving time: 4:42 Araucaria has had a monopoly on the prize crosswords in recent weeks, so this was a nice change and probably my quickest time for a Paul puzzle. The theme was … Read more >>
Azed 1856/”Four in one”
Not being an expert on Azed xmas specials, can’t tell if this is par for the course or a lot harder. In any event, I needed to resort to an email friend (PB) … Read more >>
Guardian 24276 / Shed – Knockabout Fun
Solving time: 19 minutes A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle from Shed, an under-used and underrated setter on the Guardian, in my opinion. Always a nice mixture of excellent clues with one or two twists … Read more >>
FT 12,656/Aardvark -Aalliterative Aaccolade
I enjoyed this puzzle, which featured several satisfyingly penny-dropping clues – primarily due to some well disguised definitions and very natural surfaces. The Cinephile cross-reference at 5D led me up a couple of … Read more >>
Inquisitor 52/Noel by Schadenfreude
This looked like it was going to be a tough puzzle but the theme dropped out quickly and helped me to fill in most of the answers. Initially I considered that Noel might … Read more >>
Independent 6620/Phi
The usual pleasant offering from Phi, but one or two I can’t quite understand. Across 1 J UMP(ire). Expressing in the sense of throwing out. 3 DESPOTIC I’m pretty sure. Oppressive = despotic … Read more >>
Independent 6615/Eimi – “Bank Holiday Special”(!)
This was the puzzle that almost never was. Due to be published on the 29th of December, it was nowhere to be found in the newspaper, much to the frustration of a number … Read more >>
Independent 6619/Mordred
This was terrible puzzle for me. The answers I have blogged are they only ones I have managed to get before deciding to submit the blog. Discussion of the missing answers will be … Read more >>
Guardian 24275/Rover
Solving time 8:12 I haven’t done a Rover puzzle for a long time, so I looked on the Setters page here to see what I’d be in for, and he’s described as “Hard”. … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 933 by Quixote
The usual pleasing fare from Quixote in the final IoS puzzle of the year. I found it fairly easy, solving time, 15 mins. Notes on some clues below, happy to explain others if … Read more >>
Christmas Crossword by Cinephile
This whopper proved rather easy. That is often true of Cinephile’s themed puzzles but is especially so of this one because, once one has spotted the theme, one knows not simply what kind … Read more >>