Independent 10555 / Wire
Wire provides the challenge today There were a lot of secret agent references in the clues and entries with all of the following words or names included somewhere in the … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,082/Hectence
Hectence is a long-serving Quiptic setter and always produces a puzzle that I want to recommend to beginners. I’m sure some of our newer solvers and contributors will have enjoyed (and, I daresay, … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,551 by ZAMORCA
A very enjoyable pangram from Zamorca this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle – lots of witty surfaces and misdirections that kept me on my toes. 2D might be tricky for non-Brits (or … Read more >>
Independent 10,554/Tees
Did you know that (TEES AND PIERRE)* is EARNED RESPITE? For those of you who are wishing you had earned respite from the combo, I am sorry to disappoint. It’s nothing untoward – … Read more >>
Guardian 28,208 – Vulcan
A very Monday-ish puzzle from Vulcan today; though light on the cryptic definitions, unusually. A quick but pleasant solve: thanks to Vulcan. Across 1. BESIDE THE POINT Behind … Read more >>
Private Eye (Cyclops / 682) Healthcare Buffoon
Medium difficulty for the Eye. About half in at the first pass and the other half filled-in without too much difficulty. So this is a great crossword to recommend to anyone starting out … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,589/Silvanus
A pleasing puzzle in the usual IoS style, where I was troubled only by one or two remote synonyms. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition … Read more >>
Everyman 3,851
The Observer crossword from Aug 2, 2020. A typical well-written and enjoyable Everyman crossword to accompany my Sunday brunch. I did have to check a few things, especially in the right-hand side of … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,512 Plain – Competition Puzzle
Another helping of interesting words and carefully constructed clues. Thank you Azed. I will be away on a short cycling tour over the weekend. If you have any corrections/questions then leave a comment … Read more >>
Independent 10,553 by Phi
We now have Phi-day on a Saturday. All very confusing this week but as we also blogged the Hob yesterday we realised that something different was happening this week. We spotted PHILIP in … Read more >>
Guardian 28,201 / Brendan
It’s lovely to get a chance to write a post about a Brendan crossword – he’s one of my favourite setters, and he only appears about once a month in the Guardian. This … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1445: Evolution by Vismut
An interesting preamble. Nine entries to thematically treat and 9 clues also. The treatments lead to a description of what has been done and an occupation. This should allow a person to be … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,549 by WANDERER
An excellent challenge from WANDERER today! Thanks to setter for an enjoyable solve. FF: 10 DD: 9 ACROSS 1, 6 HITTING THE ROOF Too thin? Fighter flips, becoming very angry (7,3,4) [TOO THIN … Read more >>
Independent 10,552 by Hob
When Hob popped up on a Phiday, we thought there must be something special happening today…. As we worked through the grid, we noticed the nina in the left and right borders, and, … Read more >>
Guardian 28,206 – Paul
A typical Paul puzzle that was not easy but gave up its secrets at a satisfying rate, with a couple of bits of schoolboy humour in the mix. As usual Paul is hosting … Read more >>