A gorgeous little QC from Izetti – the Grand Master of the elegant puzzle in my book. Nothing obscure but it made you think, and every clue was beautifully constructed. I would guess this was … Read more “QC 1042 by Izetti”
Author: nick_the_novice
Sunday Times 4787 by Jeff Pearce
A gentle puzzle this week which I suspect may have left some of the old hands wondering what to do with the rest of their Sunday morning, but which equally will have been encouraging for … Read more “Sunday Times 4787 by Jeff Pearce”
Quick Cryptic 1032 by Felix
I enjoyed this offering from Felix – nothing obscure, but some teasers that required a bit of thinking about (9d being an example). 12a proved yet again the wisdom of the old crossword adage “if … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1032 by Felix”
Sunday Times 4785 by Dean Mayer – ‘armless fun
Not too tricky by Dean’s exacting standards, and with some lovely stuff. Several generously clued cryptics (9a, 11a, 20a and 12d) enabled me to fill in quite a few squares on a first quick skim … Read more “Sunday Times 4785 by Dean Mayer – ‘armless fun”
Quick Cryptic 1022 by Teazel
Not too tricky, but no pushover either – I thought this was a very good QC. In particular I felt it gave newcomers exposure to a number of frequently recurring conventions / tricks of the … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1022 by Teazel”
Sunday Times 4783 by David McLean
I thought this was good fun and not too tricky – thoroughly enjoyed it. Some nice laconic touches, particularly with the second rate crossword at 9ac and the happy tale of Lucky Les at 13ac. … Read more “Sunday Times 4783 by David McLean”
Quick Cryptic 1012 by Orpheus
A pleasant, gentle puzzle from Orpheus which I suspect will be eminently accessible to newcomers and which should be meat and drink to more experienced players, with no obscure vocabulary and minimal general knowledge required. … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1012 by Orpheus”
Sunday Times 4781 by Jeff Pearce
An entertaining puzzle from Jeff which I (somewhat unusually) managed to complete in one sitting, which would suggest it was not too taxing. I particularly liked the cryptic device at 15ac, and I thought 9d … Read more “Sunday Times 4781 by Jeff Pearce”
Quick Cryptic 1002 by Teazel
An enjoyable puzzle from Teazel with a nice ‘cryptic’ feel to it, which I would rate around a mid-level degree of difficulty. Nothing particularly obscure I thought, although – as ever – one man’s “everyday … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1002 by Teazel”
Sunday Times 4779 by Dean Mayer
Preparations on the Sunday for the NYE event Mrs No Vice (if ever there was a misnomer…) and I were hosting meant I did not get around to this one until New Years Day. Tackling … Read more “Sunday Times 4779 by Dean Mayer”