Lots of fun with some very nice misdirection – favourites were 14ac, 20ac, 23ac, 5dn, and 15dn. Thanks to Nutmeg
Financial Times 16,437 by Julius
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 28, 2020
Financial Times 16,446 by IO
A great puzzle form Io, but not one for the faint-hearted. After tussling with this for a long time there is one I still cannot explain. Thank you Io. ACROSS 8 STABLE COMPANION … Read more >>
Guardian 28,102 – Qaos
Qaos has a tendency to be somewhat “liberal” with his cryptic grammar at times. I don’t usually complain about this, but there seems to be rather more of it than usual here, with … Read more >>
Independent 10,448 by Filbert
Some very good clues here: I enjoyed this a lot. At times they took a bit of working out, but apart from minor quibbles, it all seems to be sound. Clues underlined, in … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1640: A Spot in the Country by Augeas
Haven’t seen Augeas here for nearly 5 years. And it’s a very short preamble … Preamble: Solvers should fill the blank cells, then highlight someone, and what (cryptically) she saw (30 cells). … Read more >>
Financial Times 16445 Gaff
Thanks to Gaff for an elegantly themed puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Today’s the 250th anniversary of the birth of the person hidden in the 1st row. Solutions include a description … Read more >>
Independent 10,447 by Radian
Radian’s puzzles appear once a month, and we hadn’t blogged one for some time, until last month – so it’s two in a row now – lucky us! We like themed puzzles and … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,101 by Vlad
I always struggle with Vlad puzzles, and this was no exception.
Financial Times 16,444 by ARMONIE
An enjoyable start to the week.
Guardian Quiptic 1,064/Pasquale
It’s almost two years to the day since Pasquale last compiled a Quiptic for us. In the main cryptic slot in the Guardian, he is considered to be a fair but sometimes difficult … Read more >>
Independent 10,446/Tees
Tees in the Indy on Saturday, Tees in the Indy on Monday. The boy will be off to the shops, except that they’re all closed. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,100 by Vulcan
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28100. I try not to be negative, but the best I can say here is that it was over quickly. Three cryptic definitions about which Rufus might … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,494 Plain
Sorry for the late posting. All good, as usual. Thank you Azed. ACROSS 1 BADASS Tough US fish cut by heavy knife (6) BASS (fish) contains DA (heavy knife) 6 CADENT Falling for … Read more >>
Everyman 3,833
Perhaps a slightly trickier than usual Everyman this week. The Guardian crosswords blog is still recommending Everyman as a puzzle suitable for beginners. I’m not always convinced; some of the clues here are … Read more >>