A good Thursday challenge from Klingsor.
Guardian 27,699 / Maskarade
(Thanks to Eileen and Gaufrid for finding out when this should be posted and scheduling it! There didn’t seem to be any way to tell online.) I found this a slightly disappointing puzzle, … Read more >>
Financial Times Christmas Crossword 2018 by Gozo
Gozo’s instructions for this puzzle are hard to understand before one identifies the theme but, before that point, no such understanding is needed. However his use of the term ‘light’ makes it a … Read more >>
Financial Times 16,054 / Slormgorm
Well, we didn’t have to wait long this year for me to need to stand in at the last moment. Perhaps, like me recently, PeeDee has lost track of which day of the … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 27,707 by Puck
An enjoyable and slowish solve, followed by even slower parsing of a couple of clues afterwards. Both long down clues were new words to me, but gettable with a few crossers. Favourites 5dn and 6dn. Thanks to Puck.
Independent 10,053 / Tees
Tees has provided our second puzzle of 2019 and my first opportunity to blog. After some rather taxing Christmas puzzles, it was a relief to find Tees’ latest puzzle here today, to ease … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1574: Doctor’s Orders by eXtent
The eXtent team served up this year’s seasonal fare in the Pantomime Season. The rubric read: The clues for four thematic entries lack definitions. Nine other clues must each have a string of … Read more >>
Guardian 27,706 – Philistine
Philistine brings in the New Year with an entertaining puzzle.
Independent 10052 / Nimrod
Nimrod ushers in 2019 with a challenging puzzle and the parsing of one entry still eludes me. Those of you who solved Eimi’s puzzle of yesterday may have experienced a … Read more >>
Inquisitor index: 2019
Puzzles 1576 – 1627
Guardian Cryptic 27,705 by Qaos
A themed offering from Qaos.
Independent 10,051/eimi
The player-manager pulls on the shirt to take the field for the final game of the year. Will it be a puzzle of two halves? Will the solver be over the moon on … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 998/Anto
Anto has the Quiptic for us this morning. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) removed … Read more >>
Another Year Ends …
… or should that be another year is about to start?
Well, as we come to the end of another year it is time for me to say thank you to all the bloggers and comment posters who have contributed so much to this site during the past twelve months and to the setters, and their editors, who have provided the cryptic puzzles for our delectation.