Thanks to IO for this morning’s challenge.
Guardian Cryptic 29,395 by Picaroon
Picaroon provides this morning's Guardian puzzle.
Inquisitor 1856: Shade by Dysart
Dysart hasn’t been here as a setter for a couple of years. Preamble: Single letters missing from wordplay in each across clue (except the last) spell a line of verse (in ODQ) … Read more >>
Financial Times 17747 Slormgorm
Thank you to Slormgorm. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across 1. A swine breaking apart stacks of wood (8) MAHOGANY : [ A + HOG(swine/pig) ] contained in(breaking apart) MANY(stacks/piles of). From … Read more >>
Independent 11741 / Nimrod
We have a puzzle from Nimrod today making one of his few forays into the world of Independent crosswords. He is, of course, a prolific setter in other publications under a variety of … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 29,394 by Anto
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29394.
Financial Times 17,746 by GURNEY
GURNEY provides this Bank Holiday Monday's puzzle…
Guardian 29,393 / Brummie
It was something of a surprise to see Brummie’s name for the third time in ten days but no complaints here. Brummie’s puzzles often have a theme but I haven’t spotted one today. … Read more >>
Independent 11,740/Twin
A delightful Bank Holiday puzzle from Twin, with concise and precise clueing accompanied by some delightful surfaces. Bravo. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,279/Hectence
Always a pleasure to see Hectence’s name on a Quiptic, and in fact always a pleasure to open up a Quiptic to blog these days, now that the new editor has commissioned chosen … Read more >>
Financial Times Sunday No.42 – News by Basilisk
The monthly current affairs-themed puzzle returns. Find it on the FT website to solve online or download and print, or via the FT smartphone app.
Independent on Sunday 1,787 by Italicus
Italicus returns to round off our week
Azed No. 2,709 Plain
Most of this was quite routine and the usual satisfactory product, but one or two gave me a lot of trouble. One was a complete mystery until I looked up one of the words, which was new to me. I’m still unsure about one of the others and would welcome explanations, since mine is a bit tenuous.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Anagrams shown (like this)* or *(like this), depending on where the indicator (in italics) is.
Everyman 4,048
I thought this was very difficult and there was a period of panic when I thought I’d have to give up and ask for help, but eventually one fell, a fairly obvious one really but it defeated me for a long time, and the others were then solvable. It took a long time to get started, but once I had done so everything went in easily enough, until I reached the impasse already described.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, reversal, hidden, anagram etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.
Independent 11,739 by Tees
An enjoyable puzzle from Tees as usual. The linked clues reference Star Trek’s “Bones” Dr McCoy but unless I’m missing something there isn’t enough in here to be called a … Read more >>