Beelzebub/Columba 911 29-07-07
The Beelzebub puzzle, published in the magazine section of the Independent on Sunday, is currently set by two setters: Phi does three a month and Columba does one. Columba used to be a … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday by Quixote 912
The usual excellent offering by Quixote. Solving time: 20 mins * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 COUSCOUS Cousin “less in” “repeatedly” “On account of” seems to be a link, which is … Read more >>
Guardian 24,151, Gordius: Dulcinea of Patmos
Apologies for late posting. I’ve been off work, but looking after my 11-month old niece who has asthma and chicken-pox, which didn’t seem to leave much time for blogging – now I remember … Read more >>
FT 12,532/Orense – Feeling a little peaky
One for the orologists today, as the eight clues that lack definition (denoted with an asterisk below) are all mountains. I had to take a guess at 24D to finish the grid – … Read more >>
Independent 6494/Nimrod
I managed most of this pretty quickly but there were two answers (10A and 3D) that I filled in because I don’t like leaving blank spaces and these were the only words I … Read more >>
FT 12531 / Gozo – Top Banana
SOLVING TIME: 24 MINUTES Apologies for the late posting. A very clever puzzle from Gozo, reminiscent of Araucaria, with some good clueing, although a couple of queries. There seems to be an ambiguity … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,522 by Cincinnus
Another beauty from Cincinnus. Across 1. ARTIST – anagram of TRAITS with slightly cryptic definition 4. SCOTTIES – SCOT + TIES 9. CIGAR – C.I. + GAR (fish) 10 BANKROLLS – BANK on … Read more >>
Guardian 24150 Araucaria Party Time
Across 1 POSTGRAD G(ood) substituted for the ‘e’ in Poster, being one of the two advertisements, the other being ‘ad. 5 Not being interested in football I thought long and hard about Ferdinand … Read more >>
Independent 6493/Dac
Across 1 A,CAN in VT 9 TO,FORE in LA (all reversed) – the much-mocked national carrier AEROFLOT. Excellent clue with a great surface. 11 TRADE,SCANT,AI< – last one in. I saw TRADE (for … Read more >>
Guardian 24,149/Logodaedalus – Poetic Licence
Sorry for the lateness of this post, but I was in a meeting all day and playing cricket in the evening. The clues in this puzzle read like a poem in rhyming couplets, and … Read more >>
Independent 6492 / Virgilius – Delightful stuff
Solving Time: 18 mins Due to my odd sleeping patterns with my illness, I get to solve most of the daily puzzles, and I came to Virgilius after tackling The Guardian, Times and … Read more >>
Guardian 24148/Rufus
Solving time 11:58 …the last 4 minutes of which were spent trying to think of a six-letter word to fit ?I?S?N in 22 down, because the printable version from the website didn’t give … Read more >>
Independent 6491 by Glow-worm – tough
Some original ideas in quite a tough puzzle – held up by the 22-letter entry along the top and the 13-letter one in the first column. Solving time: 30 mins * = anagram … Read more >>
Guardian Prize Crossword 24141 / Araucaria – A – Z fun!
Solving time: 20 minutes One of the easier Saturday Guardan puzzles, certainly an easier time than with Pasquale’s last week! For those looking to spread their wings beyond a normal daily puzzle, these are often … Read more >>
Coming Soon – the Beezlebub puzzle in the IoS.
From next week we shall be blogging the Beelzebub – a barred puzzle published in the Independent on Sunday magazine. It’s currently compiled by two setters – Phi and Columba – and is usually … Read more >>