Author: Guy du Sable

My favorite puzzles are always those that educate me at least a little bit, along with drawing on knowledge you already possess (though it may be on the verge of being forgotten).

None of these clues are ultimately complicated nor is any of the vocabulary obscure. But the setter artfully, magically, with nearly imperceptible sleights of hand, and oft-amusing surface distraction, keeps the answer hidden until it comes as a surprise.

I knew this was going to be fun when I had 1A to start and soon acquired 1D, much to my delight.

At first, I stared blankly at this for some time. I didn’t much mind, as it augured an interesting outing (as this proved to be). Finished in one go after all, refreshed and with no complaints.

Chewy, but all quite tasty. Dig in!

Working this was a sheer delight, with moments of sudden surprise.

Probably my quickest Dean ever. I parsed a few only after putting in the answers. Again, the clues are remarkably succinct.

My journey through this was uninterrupted and relatively quick, though I did stop briefly in quite pleasurable puzzlement at several crossroads along the way.

Did this one make me stop and think? Definitely. Yet, once solved, it’s remarkable how simple and straightforward (or at least straight-backward) the cluing is.

Enjoyed this a lot—several things that are right up my alley, comme on dit. And the answer that took me the most time to parse is all of three letters long. Love it when that happens!