There have typically been about 100 puzzles between successive appearances by Poat, but the one prior to this was #1881 Get the Message, last November.
Preamble: Four creative works suggest how the answers to each group of clues must be treated. In the fifth group, each clue contains an extra letter which must be removed to enable solving; extras can be arranged to make the creator. The entry at 22dn is two words.
Financial Times 18,113 by MOO
Thank you to Moo. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Independent 12,101 by Mog
Mog for our Tuesday entertainment
Cryptic crossword No 29,753 by Ludwig
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29753.
Financial Times 18,112 by PETO
PETO kicks off the week…
Guardian 29,752 / Dynamo
Dynamo puts in a welcome fourth appearance, after seven months’ absence.
Independent 12,100/Salty
Salty’s sixth puzzle in the Indy, but the first one to come up on my watch. A pleasure to solve and blog – one or two chewy clues, but all fairly indicated and some delightful surfaces.
Financial Times 18,111 by Zamorca
Puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 19, 2025
Guardian Quiptic 1,339/Anto
Anto’s Quiptics in the past have often solicited comments along the lines of ‘decent puzzle, but not a Quiptic’.
Independent on Sunday 1,847 by Filbert
If it’s Sunday it must be Filbert in the Independent.
Gemelo No. 1
I have the honour of blogging Gemelo’s first puzzle in The Observer, and very nice it is too: fairly similar in difficulty to Azed and the clues are so far as I can see sound, with pleasantly convincing surfaces. The only apparent difference from Azed is that two of the answers have all their letters checked, something I don’t remember from Azed.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Anagram indicators in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*.
Everyman 4,108
A nice crossword from Everyman with all the usual features, which have been coloured. I imagine poor old Everyman every week thinking “what’s a long word or phrase which has the same number of letters as another one and rhymes or has some other connection with it?” and to manage to find a suitable pair is quite impressive. Many thanks to a friend of mine who explained two where I was lost.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, anagram, hidden, reversal, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(like this). Link-words — and there aren’t many of them, a sign of good setting — in green.
Independent 12,099 by Twin
Hello, hello. What have we got here then.
Detective Beermagnet is on the case and will reveal who done it below …
Quick Cryptic 68 by Ludwig
This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian, intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
Private Eye (Cyclops / 808) Addled Insomniac
A bit of crudeness and a couple of references to the orange one. Yes, this is an Eye puzzle.