i Cryptic Crossword 1317 Nimrod

We haven’t had Nimrod in a long time I believe, and this was really what you expect from him. Lots of obscurities, and some tricky clues. I got there in the end, but this was tough. 16ac should never have got past the editor.

COD? 9d – ‘James Brown just about due a fantastic welcoming – a god of the stage! (4,2,7)’.

Here’s the 2010 blog:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/08/12/independent-7433nimrod/

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i Cryptic Crossword 1316 Dac

Well, that was tougher than I was expecting today. 2d I would suggest was, unusually for Dac, rather unfair, being obscure in both the wordplay and answer.

COD? 4d – ‘A council’s first meeting discussed new addition to library (9)’.

It’s August 2010 back on Fifteensquared:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/08/11/independent-7432dac/

i Cryptic Crossword 1315 Eimi

It doesn’t look like I’ll have a chance to solve this today, but here’s a link to the old blog. Please feel free to leave your own comments / COD.

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/08/13/independent-7434-by-eimi/

i Cryptic Crossword 1314 Quixote

I suspect I’m out of form, as I struggled a little with this, while all on Fifteensquared found it easy.

COD? 7d – ‘Bat possibly making a significant contribution to success (4,3,6)’.

Back to August 2010 today:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/08/22/independent-on-sunday-1070-by-quixote-%E2%80%93-15th-august-2010/

i Prize Cryptic Crossword 1307 by Tyrus

Saturday 18th April 2015

Do we really want this kind of juvenile humour and smutty innuendo in our national newspapers? Yes please! Whatever a certain towering figure of the crossword world might think in the comments section here: http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/06/03/independent-7373-by-tyrus/, for my money this was one of the most enjoyable puzzles of the year. Hooray for Tyrus, out-Punking Punk!

COD could have been any of the risqué ones, I’ll plump for 11ac: Adult paid to appear in rarely clean entertainment (3, 5)

i Cryptic Crossword 1312 Scorpion

First off, many thanks to Cornick for covering the past couple of days!

Onto today’s, which I thought was excellent, with loads of ticks by the clues. I’ve struggled with Scorpion in the past, but made steady if slow progress today.

So many to pick from for a COD, but I’m nominating 11/23, because the definition tickled me – ‘Irish rocker needing toilet after dodgy vindaloo (3,8)’.

Back to the blazing June of 2010 on Fifteensquared:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/06/24/independent-7391-by-scorpion/

i Cryptic Crossword 1311 by Virgilius

With Virgilius moved from his regular slot to 11ac/ 12ac day, a theme was clearly coming – but what we got was far richer than just the obvious.  Six of the across answers in the top half of the grid related to 4d whilst their mirror images in the bottom half of the grid were antonyms and related to 26d.  All completely fitting, of course, for the message of this day. How does he do it?

Failed to parse 29ac and made a wrong guess, but my COD goes to 19d:

Very cool, strangely, about an unsafe mountain? (7)

For 2010 blog click here.

i Cryptic Crossword 1310 by Dac

With JonofWales away for a couple of days, he’s asked me to fill the breach.  Always a pleasure to do Dac’s puzzles of course and, unlike our original blogger I could parse all the clues okay today (mind you, Speer was only just there from the gloomy depths of memory).  On the other hand I completely failed to spot the apt-for-Dac perimeter Nina DESPITE LOOKING FOR IT!!

Here’s my COD:

15d   Thus angry young man introduces himself as a trader (8)

And the 2010 blog is here:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/06/23/independent-7390dac/

i Cryptic Crossword 1309 Radian

A 26ac / 3d themed crossword that didn’t cause me too much difficulty, though there were a few I needed to check the wordplay on after.

COD? 17d – ‘Head office employs computer systems to guard property (5-3)’.

Here’s the 2010 blog:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/06/22/independent-7389radian/

i Cryptic Crossword 1308 Quixote

A nice straightforward start to the week, nothing here really to cause many issues. Just right for a Monday.

COD? 22d – ‘Due to marry – time to get going (4)’.

It’s July already back on Fifteensquared:

http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/07/15/independent-on-sunday-1065-by-quixote-%E2%80%93-11-july-2010/