Never knowingly undersolved
Amazingly – for me, anyway – my 500th blog – and a squeaky-clean [as far as I can see] puzzle from Paul. A mixture of some easy clues to keep the ball rolling, … Read more >>
Morph has given us a puzzle of transition today I The clues and the entries move thematically from the icy cold of the pole to the sweltering heat of the equator. … Read more >>
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 1, 2017 This puzzle was a doozy! Solving the clues was mostly easy but putting everything together proved tricky even after figuring out that certain … Read more >>
A fine crossword from Loroso. One of my answers is just a guess, if anyone can explain what is going on I would be very grateful. Thank you Loroso.
The move to a new server at the beginning of last month has not been a success so we are moving again next Sunday afternoon. To avoid the possibility of them being lost, … Read more >>
What we have come to expect from Eccles and just right for a Wednesday: good, accessible, sound. Plenty of nice clues.
My apologies for the lateness, which is even worse than usual (The Guardian and the FT are always before me. Bet they are today [actually the FT wasn’t]). When I switched off yesterday there were various updates, and these had to be fiddled with by the computer before it booted up. And then it didn’t seem to want to start Windows. But eventually it did thank goodness.
Lots of tricks, and lots of parsing after the fact. Favourite clues were 15ac, 4dn, 5dn and 18dn. Thanks, Philistine.
I’ve learnt from experience that a puzzle by Ifor is something to look forward to – the clueing is usually high quality, but on the tough side. Preamble: Eighteen answers need some … Read more >>
26/6/17 – An update from Dean:
We don’t really do a final call for these things, but this is just a reminder to let me know if you intend to join your fellow solvers/setters in Macclesfield on 7th/8th July.
Friday evening includes musical entertainment in the form of a disco/funk/soul/Motown covers band, and on Saturday there will be a Q&A session featuring a trio of established editors/setters.
Timings:
Friday’s music will start at 9-ish but everyone is welcome from 5pm.
The Saturday Q&A will start around 2pm and continue for as long as people have questions!
The Snowgoose is open for breakfast from 8:30am, so Saturday is an all-dayer. The Q&A session is the only part which has a start time, but even this is movable depending on the vibe on the day.
The Snowgoose has an eclectic menu of its own (vegetarians are well catered for) but there are restaurant alternatives nearby. The venue – on Sunderland St – is also very close to Macclesfield railway station and a Travelodge; both within 5 minutes’ walk.
A message from Dean Mayer (Anax, Elkamere, Loroso)
As for last year’s debut event, this will be held at the lovely Alpine-themed Snowgoose Cafe on Sunderland Street. This is within 5 minutes’ walk of the railway station and Travelodge.
A gathering of crossword setters and solvers will take place in London, following on, as in previous years, from the annual lunch for Times setters. The venue will be The George, Borough High … Read more >>
Thanks to Sayang for this enjoyable puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues. There’s a mini-theme here. Across 1 Sound philosophical element sealed (10) WATERTIGHT : WATER(in classical philosophies, one of the elements that … Read more >>
A fairly straightforward puzzle from Vigo today. Nothing too taxing, but none the worse for that. All the clues were fair, with no particularly unusual words, making for a very enjoyable solve. … Read more >>
Another well-judged puzzle from Nutmeg (who you can read about here), with elegant surfaces that reveal a perfectly sound and straightforward construction once you see through the misdirection. For those who care about … Read more >>
Some tricky ones in here, I found. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) missing definitions are underlined Across 1 About … Read more >>