It is interesting though, that the most proficient solvers of cryptic crosswords, according to a study done by a UK University, (which was posted on 225 years ago and I can’t remember now), are people with science and technology backgrounds. This is an extremely popular crossword puzzle in which for sure you will pass some great time and also keep your brain sharp with all the interesting crossword clues found on each day on The Guardian Everyman Crossword puzzles. TOFU doesn’t taste of anything much and only really becomes edible with drying out and lots of flavouring. It seems like this must be one of those things that shows up repeatedly in cryptics, but if so I’ve never seen it (or, just as likely, have seen it and forgotten). Everyman 4027 6D (4,3) Languish with idiot having assembled something for pasta sauce : -I-E / -U- 15D Not finishing various starters of Italian endivea, dressed like some tomatoes (3,5)S-N/-R-E- thanks in.

e. standard cryptic puzzles) have been attempted, though almost all have at least one word blank; 5 of the 'Ximenes' puzzles are completely blank, the remainder being solved in varying degrees (but none completely); the previous owner clearly did not stoop to looking at the solution pages! e. TRACK with the end missing and with number meaning a track on a record); `of gripes’ defines TORMINAL; the rest is MINATORY (threatening) with TORY replaced by L for Liberal. I was thinking recently that it’s been a while since I posted anything about crosswords, and today I got a nice surprise that gives me an excuse for a short post. The puzzle was fairly tricky to solve but, as always with the Azed Competition entrants also have to compose a clue of their own. The answer to this is DECAMETRE (defined by `11 yards’) and clearly intended to be a soundalike (homophone) for DECK A METER (Adorn a device for measuring…).I thought perhaps he LUSTed OVER RAG (matches all the crossers) but didn’t see how that went with blowing a fuse. I actually knew LESOTHO is a monarchy, so that went in easily and parsed UNHINGED the same way as KVa, after squinting at it several times. Down clues were `normal’, which helped a lot in providing checked lights to help in solving the trickier across clues. I resumed in 2017 but have found it difficult to get back into the swing of writing clues (at which I’ve never really been very good anyway).

They’re not as challenging as Azed, but I always like to tackle the Everyman puzzle as a sort of warm-up exercise before doing that one. I send my very best wishes to Colin Gumbrell at this time, as I’m sure do crossword enthusiasts everywhere. The views presented here are personal and not necessarily those of my employer (or anyone else for that matter).If you think your favourite Quiz, Crossword or Puzzle should be listed here don’t hesitate to contact us. That’s not enough to merit a prize but at least gets me on the scoreboard for this year’s competition.

My moan at 6dn about the fact that it’s a CD is a voice crying in the wilderness: lots of people, including some good setters, like them. Yes, it’s certainly better than last week (which isn’t difficult), but not really up to Colin’s standard. I couldn’t work out the link to 2D for ERNE – it had to be that from the crossers and definition…so thanks for the explanation(s) above. Because of the time of year, there is a bit of a fireworks theme and 4dn and 9dn don’t rhyme, as in the past, but are related in their subject matter. I agree about the recent standard: the clues have been frustratingly imprecise: poor definitions and/or indicators, and an over-use of solutions embedded in the clue, but above all they aren’t entertaining: ponderous and over-literal: none of the sparkling wit of the predecessor.

The pairs of words are clued in such a way that the definition part relates to the full word, but the cryptic indication relates only to the part not involved in the collision, i.