Never knowingly undersolved
Solving time: 20:01. One mistake (2dn) so the last 3 of those minutes were wasted! I know the Guardian allows its setters much more licence than most publications (and that some setters are … Read more >>
Solving time: 6:37 Welcome relief after a half-hour struggle with Scorpion yesterday: I much preferred this to the last Phi puzzle I blogged (6288). The antipodean flavour to the top left (OTAGO and … Read more >>
My first entry to this blog related to a Chifonie puzzle, so my heart sank at first when I saw that I would be solving another one today. However, this one is a … Read more >>
This puzzle reminded me of a year or two back when I thought the Quixote Sunday puzzle was pitched at an easier level than the daily Indy one. Would have been even quicker … Read more >>
(an anonymous puzzle in the paper, but the setter has already been identified elsewhere) Solving time: ages Found this one really tough – maybe the “blogger’s curse” (anything you have to write about … Read more >>
Scorpion is, I find, the hardest of the Indy setters and this puzzle was no exception. There were some novel approaches and some areas I am not entirely sure of all the reasoning. These … Read more >>
Solving time : 10 minutes or so. The obvious theme of this puzzle made a few of the answers very easy to fill in. This sponsored puzzle is printed on a green background … Read more >>
A puzzle about the tube from Araucaria that probably could be done on the tube. Not all the lines showed up but at least my favorite did (the District, which is what I … Read more >>
This had all I’ve come to expect from Dac. Excellent flowing surface readings, clever misdirection, a very satisfying solve, with all understood in the end. A bit tougher than usual, maybe partly because … Read more >>
A puzzle with an overt theme, rather than one to be deduced, which gives a good illustration of the many different uses of ‘doctor’ in a puzzle. All the across clues and a … Read more >>
After two weeks away from the UK with no daily crosswords I found this one a real struggle after the halfway mark. A few obscure words and some weak devices left me having … Read more >>
Solving time: 26 minutes A nautical theme for today’s puzzle with lots of linked answers and clues. This was very much a puzzle of 10 minutes of staring blankly, followed by 16 of furious … Read more >>
Andy Wallace (linxit): Nestor (Roger Phillips) and Eimi (Mike Hutchinson): Niall MacSweeney (nmsindy) and Paul Bringloe (Tees): Eimi and Mick Hodgkin (michod): Nimrod (John Henderson), Mr Magoo (Mark Goodliffe), Tony Sever and rightback … Read more >>
Solving time: About 45 mins without Chambers plus about 10 minutes with to check/finish off. One mistake (22ac), two I can’t explain (31ac and 2dn) – offers welcome. A quick scan suggests that … Read more >>
Solving time – about 7 mins I counted 11 cryptic definitions and 5 double definitions in this puzzle, which seems a bit excessive – and makes it very easy if your brain’s working … Read more >>