Guardian 23,938/Arachne – Caught in a web
A mixed bag. I found half the clues came very quickly, but there was a stubborn hard core, one of which eluded me to the end (but see comments for solution). Eight proper … Read more >>
Independent 6279/Nestor – what a challenge!
This was hard by Indy daily standards – and there’s one I don’t understand and fear I missed – any guidance welcomed! Solving time (if I’ve got it!) 60 mins (way longer than … Read more >>
Today’s Independent puzzle by Nestor
Apologies for the delay – a review of today’s debut by Nestor will appear shortly.
Guardian 23937/Pasquale – pretty tough for a weekday puzzle
Solving time – 45 minutes. I feel sorry for anyone trying to do this on the train – after struggling in vain for 20 minutes to get half of it I resorted to … Read more >>
Guardian 23936/Gordius – Whose teeth are gnashing?
[This is actually courtesy of loonapick who due to technical difficulties asked me to post… so please direct all compliments to him and complaints to me about the formatting] Gordius is a regular … Read more >>
Independent 6278/Dac – and so to Beds.
Some of you may have seen this post appear, disappear and reappear. That’s because I posted on the wrong day after looking at last week’s schedule and then removed it while I found … Read more >>
Independent 6277/Virgilius – That’s logic
Solving time: 13:16 (one mistake) Another excellent puzzle from Virgilius with a theme (7, arguably 10 answers) based on a work by one of my favourite authors. Anyone unfamiliar with the excerpt in … Read more >>
Guardian 23935/Araucaria – no good deed…
No good deed goes unpunished. I volunteered to do Tuesday’s cryptic thinking that I’ll probably get someone tractable like Shed, Quantum, etc. – but no… and we’re left with four wordplays I can’t … Read more >>
Independent 6276 by Obtrox – Nervous start
Solvers of advanced cryptics will recognise the name Obtrox as he/she has compiled a number of crosswords for the Listener, Enigmatic Variations and the Independent’s own Weekend Magazine over the past few years. … Read more >>
Guardian 23934/Rufus – I’m DOWN
Typical fair Rufus fare. A couple of nice turns of phrase (e.g. 24D), one Shakespearean reference that had me checking Hamlet (22D) and a wordplay whose decoding had me going for a bit … Read more >>
Azed 1799
Azed – A brief introduction If you regularly finish the puzzles in the “dailies” and fancy a new challenge then a barred crossword like Azed (or Beelzebub in the Independent and Mephisto in … Read more >>
Observer 3138/Everyman – The Cs have it
Seems like the theme might have been words starting with C given the high proportion (CHERISHED, CARPETBAGGERS, CROWN, CHILE PINE, CHESS, CHRISTABEL, CONFIDENT). Quite an accessible puzzle with generally sensible surfaces (except for … Read more >>
Independent 6269 by Merlin – Hard to smoke out that Frenchman (and an error!)
This was really tough. Merlin has a monthly slot in the Indy. As a solver who tackles the Times Listener Crossword every week, Merlin is familiar to me in that context also as … Read more >>
Guardian 23927/Paul – dem bones
A nice thematic puzzle about bones…. Across 1 VAC, ATE – A brief holiday is a vac(ation) and Ate was the Greek goddess of blind folly and delusion. 9 OTIS – “Mr Redding” … Read more >>
Independent 6274/Phi
Solving time : 30 minutes. In many ways a typical Phi puzzle, very fair. The clues that marred this puzzle for me were a couple of cryptic definitions that I didn’t feel worked … Read more >>