The Tuesday Themes of 2018

Hello everyone; here is the list of Tuesday crossword themes for the past year. Having had a teensy spot of bother with formatting before I’ve also made a pdf file which you can view or download by clicking here.

1. Seamus Heaney  –  Eimi
2. Revolutionary leaders  –  Alchemi
3. <strange pangram!>  –  Raich
4. “Set”  –  Scorpion
5. Minder (TV series)  –  Tyrus
6. Food groups (popular music)  –  Tees
7. I Haven’t A Clue  –  Phi
8. Ni-na-ni-na-ni-na!  –  Crosophile
9. Ada Lovelace  –  Radian
10. Simon & Garfunkel  –  Raich
11. Snakes  –  Radian
12. Pasta  –  Anax
13. Dogs  –  Tees
14. US cities  –  Punk
15. Figures of speech  –  Radian
16. People on banknotes  –  Scorpion
17. Seven Ages of Man  –  Radian
18. Trees  –  Scorpion
19. Ghost theme!  –  Tyrus
20. The Decameron  –  Eimi
21. Whole Numbers  –  Donk
22. Royal Houses  –  Scorpion
23. Food and Drink  –  Anax
24. Ford models  –  Scorpion
25. Languages  –  Radian
26. Battles and dates  –  Tees
27. Marvin Gaye  –  Hob
28. Cheese (and chalk)  –  Morph
29. Shakespeare’s comedies  –  Raich
30. The Four Seasons  –  Radian
31. Books of the Bible  –  Poins
32. Mister …  –  Crosophile
33. Bob Hoskins  –  Eimi
34. Old Countries  –  Scorpion
35. The Shield of Achilles  –  Tees / Hephaestos
36. Stock + Port  –  Hob
37. Maps and their uses  –  Radian
38. Towers of London  –  Morph
39. Italian food  –  Scorpion
40. Waiting for Godot  –  Alchemi
41. Toilets  –  Tees
42. US Presidents  –  Hieroglyph
43. Well Well  –  Radian
44. Blue …  –  Scorpion
45. Dublin  –  Hob
46. Jane Austen  –  Hieroglyph
47. Joints  –  Crosophile
48. Kenneth More  –  Alchemi
49. Eagles  –  Hob
50. Cumbrian fells  –  Morph
51. One letter suffixes (eg Henry V)  –  Hob

It’s not unlike last year’s list except that Radian has to share the prize for contributing the greatest number of Tuesday crosswords with Scorpion, and again we see a wide variety of subjects only a small handful of which could fairly be described as high brow. The “Shield of Achilles” crossword by Tees masquerading as Hephaestos definitely fits into that category, and sticks in the memory because it was one of the rare occasions when the Tuesday puzzle was a really stiff one. Ordinarily they simply tend to be of middling difficulty with an extra element of fun.

It’s been a pleasure writing the blogs, and I look forward to more of the same in 2019 with only some mild trepidation in case WordPress insists on making us use the incomprehensible new editing software. Best wishes to one and all for the New Year.