A slow and tough solve, with a lot of clever and witty cluing. Favourites 10ac, 11ac, 3dn, 4dn, 13dn, and especially 23ac.
Financial Times 16,316 by FALCON
Very swift solve, solidly clued, fine Tuesday fare.
Independent 10316 / Raich
Raich used to be a regular setter for the Independent series, but his offerings have been confined to Sundays recently. His last daily crossword was published in December 2018 He … Read more >>
Independent 10,315 by Hoskins
A tricky workout from Hoskins today. Some of this was straightforward, but there are a few rather obscure references, awkward constructions and slightly loose definitions; all gettable but needed a bit of fact-checking. … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,042/Pan
A pitch-perfect puzzle from Pan this morning, with shedloads of stunning surfaces. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] … Read more >>
Guardian 27,969 – Orlando
Once a regular setter, Orlando only appears rarely these days, so it was a delight to see his name on today’s puzzle, especially after the equally welcome surprise of fellow old-timer Brendan on … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,315 by VELIA
Good fun to start off the week. Really enjoyed this! Great mix of clues, with some witty surfaces. Some of my favourites today include 16a, 23a, 5d, 14d, 22d. Thank you to the … Read more >>
Everyman 3,811
The Observer crossword from Oct 27, 2019
Another Everyman crossword that will please some and, in places, annoy others.
Independent on Sunday 1,549/Skinny
I blogged Skinny’s debut puzzle in the Indy in July and commented there that I hoped we’d bump into each other again. My wish has been granted, and I enjoyed solving and blogging … Read more >>
AZED 2,472 by Azed
A plain Azed that I solved at a steady pace. I was able to complete all bar the SE corner without resorting to Chambers, so this must have been a fairly straightforward offering. … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 196 by Qaos
Unless I have missed something devious, this month’s Genius from Qaos seemed relatively gentle… The preamble states that: “Half the solutions must have a letter removed before entry in the grid (only valid … Read more >>
Independent 10,314 by Klingsor
Another well crafted puzzle from Klingsor for the weekend.
Enigmatic Variations 1405 Association by Piccadilly
Autumn and an association to find – 11 unclued entries which need to associated with a word from a normal clue. The other clues have an extra letter in the wordplay – across … Read more >>
Guardian 27,962 / Paul
We really struggled with this one, perhaps because of a combination of some tough clues, obscure answers, and the grid being low on checked letters. Good puzzle (thank-you Paul!) with some wonderful surface … Read more >>
Guardian 27,967 – Brendan
I was confidently expecting today’s setter to be Paul, but it was certainly no disappointment to see Brendan instead (not that I have anything against Paul). We have a theme, of course, pointed … Read more >>