FT 12497/Mudd – nourishing
Even though his name is Mudd here – it’s Paul in the Guardian. I definitely solved this more quickly than the typical Paul – so maybe there is something to the theory that … Read more >>
Independent 6454/Hard-Phi – Moving to the Weekend
We had a tough Saturday Phi puzzle a couple of months ago but I think this one was harder. I solved this one in deepest Suffolk, with no access to a decent dictionary … Read more >>
Inquisitor 25 – Conclusion by Zero
Solving time: about 90 mins A fairly standard challenge here: find extra words in four across and four down clues which allow what’s presumably a quotation to be identified, and clashes between across … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 906 by Quixote
Solving time: 23 mins * (anagram) ACROSS 1 RAP TOR 4 BAD BLOOD Pleasing double definition 10 DEC (December is last month) ALITRE (retail)* 13 COELENTERATES (ocean resettle)* 16 POSTMODERNISM (Immodest porn’s)* 23 … Read more >>
Guardian 24115/Gordius – Twins and tarring the bush
1A was the best cryptic political comment I’ve seen in a long time. I had to look up 21A and 14A for being too esoteric. Found this overall rather hard but with many … Read more >>
Independent 6458/Dac
Across 1 PAT,C,ASH(e) – excellent topical clue. 9 P in SOHO,MORE – one of the last 2 or 3 answers to go. “Part of London again” had me puzzled for a while. 10 … Read more >>
Financial Times 12,486 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 16, 2007 Across 1. ENGLANDER – *(GREENLAND) 6. TORCH – double definition. 9. STAID – homophone 10. NOTEPAPER – reverse(ETON) + PAPER. Very clever! 11. … Read more >>
FT 12,495 by Cinephile
At first glance this looked liked it could be one of those lesser-spotted species, a totally athematic Cinephile puzzle. But it turned out that there was actually a healthy dose of climate change … Read more >>
Azed 1829
Apologies for a late Azed report – can’t remember my time for this, or how much I used the big red book – I re-solved from memory after prematurely chucking the original. Across … Read more >>
Independent 6457/Morph – Stepping down
Fantastic puzzle from “one of us” with a very clever and very topical theme. You probably know the game where you have to change one word into another in a certain number of … Read more >>
Guardian 24,114/Brendan – I may be missing something?
Given the number of black squares in the grid and the lack of difficulty in this puzzle, I was expecting there to be a theme, but, if it’s there, I can’t find it. … Read more >>
Independent 6456/Virgilius
A fairly easy Virgilius today with no obvious theme other than the inter-linking of a couple of the long entries. Though someone will now tell me that a knight’s move sequence reveals something … Read more >>
Financial Times 12494/Crux – Not quite an 1A 27A.
Another FT, another new name for me. I really enjoyed this one – lots of excellent clues and just the right amount of difficulty. Across 1 (PUT ONE’S HAND)* – nice anagram and … Read more >>
Guardian 24113/Paul – are you a salopette?
Felt a bit Araucarian today – surfaces sacrificed at the altar of clever wordplay. I had to look up SALOPETTE – which I think is contrived (derived from SALOP which I recognized as … Read more >>
Independent 6455 by Tees
Some pleasing material here from this inventive setter. Solving time: 25 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 COAT OF ARMS (A from Ascot)* Did not see this till late on. “becomes” indicates … Read more >>