Financial Times 16,529 by JULIUS
Good fun as always. Thank you Julius. ACROSS 1. My bad, dodgy credit cards not accepting €? (1,5,9) I STAND CORRECTED anagram (dodgy) of CREDIT CARDS NOT containing E (Euro symbol) 9. Include … Read more >>
Independent 10,532 / Tees
Tees has provided his latest puzzle for our mid-week entertainment. I found this to be an enjoyable medium-difficulty puzzle and one whose solution revealed itself to me gradually: at no point did I … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,186 by Qaos
A fun challenge – my favourites were 4ac, 9ac, 15ac, and 4dn. Thanks to Qaos… …there is a theme around SPINAL TAP, a fictional band from the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap [wiki] … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1654: Spot the Difference by Artix
A long complex rubric with a coda by the editor. The solutions to both grids are identical except for the three pairs of thematic entries in the silver cells; other down answers may … Read more >>
Guardian 28,185 – Pasquale
Pasquale in gentle mood today, with almost no obscurities (for me, anyway: others may disagree). Mostly very straightforward clueing, with a couple of devices that have been round the block a few times. … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,528 by SLORMGORM
A good Tuesday challenge with wit and some ingenuity. Some head-scratching required but nothing to complain of and some quiet chuckles as well. Thanks, Slormgorm. ACROSS 1 FAMISHED Starving religious sect saved by … Read more >>
Independent 10531 / Skinny
Skinny provides the Tuesday challenge. Ah! I thought; this grid will have a message round the outside. Wrong! There was a theme though which I spotted towards the end of … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,527 by BASILISK
Super challenge from Basilisk. Took me longer than usual to get through this puzzle – a good thing in my book! I had to seek assistance on 15d which had me stumped but … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,078/Pan
As always, a sound and pleasing Quiptic from Pan. I have given full explanations for those still a little mystified by cryptic conventions, but if there is anything that isn’t clear, you only … Read more >>
Independent 10,530 by Bluth
Another very witty puzzle from Bluth, who first appeared as an Independent setter a few months ago and seems to have settled in as a regular contributor. The clues range from fairly easy … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,184 by Vulcan
The commenters on the Guardian website seem to like this one, so who am I to argue? I’ll be frank. This was not my type of puzzle, but one man’s meat is another … Read more >>
Private Eye (Cyclops / 680) Obnoxious Nobody
It had to happen sometime – I have finally solved one of these in one pass. It took about half hour – I was making notes for the blog as I went so … Read more >>
Everyman 3,847
The Observer crossword from July 5, 2020 A nice crossword, perhaps a bit chewier than usual for an Everyman? Of course, we had another Primarily clue (one that was quite amusing). Plus a … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1,585/Tees
Tees has become a regular IoS setter recently. I found this more tricky than many a Tees puzzle, but that could just have been me being a bit mentally sluggish this morning. … Read more >>
Azed No. 2,508 ‘Misprints’ – Competition Puzzle
A misprint puzzle from Azed that I have completed, but not fully parsed. I solved this puzzle over four sittings, and have had to give up on the parsing of one answer (1ac) … Read more >>