“The eight unclued entries are thematically linked and each must be entered in an appropriate style. Pairs of clues in numerical sequence provide (one per clue, in either order) a one-word definition and a letter mixture (beginning or ending at a word boundary) of a word that will fit in an unclued slot, giving two alternatives for each of seven slots. The theme dictates both the correct choice for each specific grid location and the style in which it must be entered. Were the non-thematic options used instead, their eight unchecked letters (read in conventional grid order) would spell out THE NAME OF THE GAME, which must be entered under the grid; this provides a further hint to the final thematic entry. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Independent 10,891 / Bluth
Bluth has provided a meaty puzzle for us to sink our teeth into and savour this Wednesday. I found this to be a very rewarding puzzle to solve, definitely at the harder end … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,885 by JULIUS
A super puzzle today. If you like alphabetical jigsaws then you can download the puzzle here. Thank you Julius.
Guardian Cryptic 28,545 by Brummie
Found this slow at the beginning and smooth once I got going. Top favourite was 12dn, and I also liked 20ac, 24ac, and 23dn. Thanks to Brummie for the puzzle
Inquisitor 1714: Clouds by Phi
The most complex and confusing rubric of the year! The grid has top and bottom halves. In each half, six entries occupying cells in that half are clued without a common definition. The … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,884 by NEO
A consistently interesting Tuesday exercise.
Guardian 28,544 – Qaos
A quick solve for me today, helped by…
Independent 10890 / Radian
Tuesday’s Independent puzzle is set by Radian who is a regular in the Independent series. On Tuesdays, there is usually some theme or message involved in the puzzle. Today the … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,883 by JASON
Filling the grid this morning wasn’t too much of a challenge, but some of the parsing took me longer than usual.
Independent 10,889 by Hoskins
Monday morning fun from Hoskins, with a fair bit of his trademark smutty humour (you have been warned).
Guardian Cryptic 28,543 by Pan
Monday, Monday…and it’s Pan who appears in this morning’s Guardian.
Guardian Quiptic 1,138/Pasquale
You always know you will get a sound, fair and no-bells-and-whistles Quiptic from Pasquale. I’d be specially recommending this one to those who really are newish to the art of cryptic solving. … Read more >>
Everyman 3,907
The Observer crossword from Aug 29, 2021
Guardian Genius 218 – Vlad
The words “Genius puzzle” and “Vlad” are a scary combination for a blogger, but this one turned out to be “only” moderate-to-hard on the Genius scale. My way in to the theme was … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,645/Shabbo
A pleasing and tractable puzzle to go with my Sunday morning coffee. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) removed … Read more >>