Guardian 24186/Araucaria definitely today!
Solving time approx 30 minutes. I didn’t see any answers on my first glance through the clues, but managed to work out the anagram at 27ac and worked upwards steadily from there. As … Read more >>
FT 12,566/Highlander
I didn’t spot anything unduly devious today so, coupled with the fact that the answers are all basic vocab, most clues are pretty self-evident. The only possible gripe would be that the wordplay/definitions … Read more >>
Azed 1841 – rare Azed slips?
(this version added Weds 19 Sep, 8:20 p.m. – the first two comments relate to the corrected clue to 23D printed with no. 1842) Solving time: roughly 90 mins from memory This puzzle includes two mistakes, … Read more >>
Independent 6528/Virgilius
A typically good Virgilius puzzle with a few tough clues. I made one significant error early on which left me flummoxed over the last two entries. Across 7 TICKET COLLECTOR — double def. … Read more >>
Guardian 24185/Araucaria – out of character
Another out of character Araucarian opus – not cross-refs, not long anagrams and actually quite a pleasant puzzle with reasonable surfaces. Across 1 FR(EE)BIE – [w]EE[k] in brief* 5 CAT’S-PAW – had to … Read more >>
Independent 6527/Merlin – Wizard!
Superb puzzle but tricky in places and a reminder that Monday is not always easy-day in the Independent. There’s a lot to admire in this but I thought that 1A,10A,20A and 4D were … Read more >>
Guardian 24184/ Rufus Gentle start to the week.
I finished this more swiftly than any other Guardian crossword I have completed, taking 9 minutes. There didn’t seem much to stretch one’s mind, but maybe that’s a good thing for Monday morning. … Read more >>
Guardian 24182/Auster – Strange Fruit
The link for the Across clues is that these are all fruit grown in Australia. Some of them are not at all Pom-friendly, and without the Internet, and especially http://www.campionandcurtis.com/seasonal.html, I would have … Read more >>
Independent 6525 by Phi
I found this fairly straightforward. Solving time: 15 mins. (LATER: there is a Nina here that I missed though I did look, but another has pointed it out. I refer to it … Read more >>
Beelzebub 916/Phi (02-09-07)
This was probably one of the easiest advanced puzzles I’ve ever completed but it was a very satisfying solve. I only needed Chambers on a couple of occasions and there were some great … Read more >>
Independent 6520/Nestor (08-09-07)
Across 1 (PTA I CURB SCHOOL)* – CLAUSTROPHOBIC. Easy anagram to spot; it’s always nice to get a long answer quickly as it gives you lots of Down clues to work on. 10 … Read more >>
Guardian 24177 / Araucaria
I enjoyed this crossword, which was on the whole straightforward but with interesting nuggets of information – 8 AC, and some amusing clues – 18Dn. Posted by Simply Simon Peters Across 7 LONG … Read more >>
Inquisitor 36/Kea – Olympic Jigsaw
Jigsaw puzzles like this add a new element to solving a barred crossword, because you have to solve a significant percentage of the clues before you can start placing them in the grid. … Read more >>
Guardian 24,181, Orlando: Fr*ggin’ ‘ard
The title refers to a French rococo painter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Honor%C3%A9_Fragonard) whose name I eventually guessed once I had all the letters. But I did find this one pretty tough, and I don’t think it was just my … Read more >>
Independent 6524/Scorpion
Very tough, as we’ve come to expect from Scorpion. I actually managed to fill the grid pretty quickly – about 30 mins – but, as you’ll see from the blog, there was a … Read more >>