Azed 2513

Quite a tricky one this week I thought, with a lot of unfamiliar words in both answers and wordplay. Everything worked out soundly in the end, of course, with just a slight niggle … Read more >>

Everyman 3,852

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3852. This week we have paired clues aplenty: 1A OFF-THE-WALL and 26A ON THE SHELF; the rhyming pair 4D WEBCAMS and 5D LOG JAMS; the assonant artists … Read more >>

Enigmatic Variations No.1446 – Band to Reset by Ifor

“Clues are normal and in conventional order; bars (which would not be symmetrical) must not be shown. Numbers given are answer lengths. Three cells each containing more than one letter must have each group replaced by a symbol. In the completed grid 20 cells containing two names and one letter showing a position in a sequence must be highlighted and three letters italicised; the centre cell is left empty. Solvers must empty six further cells which allow BAND TO reset, leaving real words. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”

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Financial Times 16,554 by SLEUTH

A comparatively straightforward puzzle in this morning's FT Sleuth's latest offering is a solid puzzle which required very little general knowledge (apart, possibly, for HONOUR =ACE), and there were no particularly tricky diversions … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 28,211 by Qaos

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28211. Firstly, my apologies for missing my slot here last week; I was raring to go, but even if Hurricane Isaias had been downgraded to a Tropical … Read more >>

Financial Times 16,544 by Mudd

Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 1, 2020 In this very divided grid, I started with 30 ac (RED GIANT), completed that bottom-right quadrant and then worked around each quadrant in … Read more >>