Guardian 24170/Araucaria
Well, my Internet connection seems fine this morning, so hopefully that means they’ve fixed it properly this time! Anyway, as a few people have already commented, this was an absolute beast of a … Read more >>
Beelzebub 914/Phi (19-08-07)
I found this is a bit trickier than the last couple of Beelzebub puzzles and I even had to use Bradford’s on a couple of occasions. There are a couple of clues – … Read more >>
Independent 6508/Hypnos
Reasonably easy puzzle but with a sting in the tail for me. I got 4A quickly so was able to fill in the answers to the thematic clues with not much thought. The … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,540 by Mudd
I quickly finished the left half of the grid. It then took me a couple of days before I got a good start on the right side. Once I did, I finished it … Read more >>
Inquisitor 34/Phi – Look Here! No, Here! No, Here!
Either I am getting better at Inquisitors or this one was not as challenging as it first appeared. When I bought the paper last week, I took one look at the puzzle and … Read more >>
Independent 6512/Nimrod
18D was the key to cracking this one although I somehow got two of the clues that refer to it before working out what was going on. I haven’t played Cluedo since I … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 915 by Quixote
An unusual mixture of some very easy clues and extremely tricky ones to finish. Harder than usual – solving time: 28 mins. A short blog but happy to explain any other clues if … Read more >>
Guardian 24169/Audreus – seperate
Found this hard for Audreus – who I’ve blogged a couple of times in the past. Had to resort to the dictionary to solve the anagram at 7D which looked awfully unlikely in … Read more >>
FT 12,549/Io – A relatively 27A solve
This was a tough nut to crack, at least by FT standards. I don’t have regular access to other daily puzzles that are blogged on this site, but I suspect that the difficulty … Read more >>
Guardian 24168 / Gordius – Lock Up Your Dorters
A change of pace after yesterday’s Paul brainbuster. It still required two coffees, Mrs Stan and Crossword Buddy (http://www.loquax.co.uk/puzzles/) to complete however, which probably says more about the state of my mind than the … Read more >>
Independent 6511 by Dac – very tough
Another excellent puzzle from Dac, with all stacking up in the end, some cleverly concealed definitions – very tough, esp SE corner, though this blogger’s cinematic ignorance contributed to that. Solving time: 43 … Read more >>
Independent 6510/Virgilius
A mostly straightforward puzzle from Virgilius. Three hidden clues made for an easy start and a quick fill for me. However, I still have doubts about one answer and a couple of clues … Read more >>
Guardian 24167/ Paul
I started slowly, and didn’t feel in tune with the puzzle at all, maybe it was the bruising effect of trying to solve Saturday’s twin puzzles……. Across 9 URTICARIA Often references to rash … Read more >>
Guardian 24,166 – Rufus
Sorry for the late post. Don’t have a lot to say about this puzzle. Mostly fair, some good surfaces, the usual smattering of cryptic definitions that Rufus likes to use. I’m not convinced … Read more >>
Independent 6509/Tomohiro
I’ve only got time to say a few general comments on this puzzle so if anyone is stuck on any of the clues please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to … Read more >>