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2026-10-30 13:26:26 UTC

Friday, October 30, 2026
Robyn Weintraub & Rafael Musa’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap Always nice to see a Robyn themeless with more bite than her Wednesday New Yorker puzzles (which I can finish around 3 minutes flat), always nice to see a Rafael … Continue reading →
https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/10/29/friday-october-30-2026/
#yorktimes #robynweintraub #newyork #rafaelmusa #wednesdaynew #amy
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2026-10-29 14:56:35 UTC

MGWCC #960
hello, and welcome to episode #960 of matt gaffney’s weekly crossword contest, a week 4 puzzle called “Sound Logic”. matt tells us that for the second week in a row, we’re looking for a well-known scary movie. what are the … Continue reading →
https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/10/28/mgwcc-960/
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2026-10-29 13:34:28 UTC

Thursday, October 29, 2026
Alex Eaton-Salners’s Fireball Crossword “End Arounds” – Jenni’s write-up OK, I give up. I solved the puzzle yesterday and couldn’t grok the theme so I set it aside. Just looked at it again and then asked my husband to help … Continue reading →
https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/10/29/thursday-october-29-2026/
#endarounds #fireballcrossword #jenni
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2026-10-29 12:54:10 UTC

Guardian 30150 / Tramp
We have a puzzle from Tramp in the Guardian today.
Parsing POTPOURRI (10 across) was a bit of a struggle for me, until I decided TEEM, a homonym of TEAM, could mean POUR, as in TEEM or POUR with rain.
I wonder if I was the only solver who couldn’t understand for a while why ‘dark green’ might relate to IVORY (a creamy white colour) at 12 across, before realising that ‘ dark green’ actually went with IVY as part of the wordplay.
I liked the definition for ASTROLOGY (2 down), relating it to horoscopes mainly printed in tabloid newspapers.
Tramp delved into his toolbox a few times to come up with terms to describe the outer letters of words used as part of the wordplay. I counted three: ‘boundaries on CrickeT‘, ‘on both sides of PenaltieS‘ and ‘skirt for ModestY‘. Many selections of first or last letters of words in clues also contributed to the wordplay throughout the puzzle.
I foolishly banged in MAIDENS at 5 down, but, not surprisingly, it clashed with obviously correct crossing answers. A closer look at the clue showed there couldn’t be an M in the answer, so I changed it to NAIADES after checking it was a valid plural of NAIAD.
No doubt Tramp will not be the only setter who chooses ‘Reform’ as an anagram indicator when faced with the possibility of an anagram of NIGEL!
This puzzle was an entertaining challenge, especially so with the four thirteen-letter entries around the outside of the grid and the hints of sauciness throughout.
No
Detail
Across
1
To Marilyn, A Miller not half struggling in marriage (13)
MATRIMONIALLY (relating to [in] marriage)
Anagram of (struggling) TO MARILYN A and MILler excluding (not) LER the second 3 of 6 (half) letters
MATRIMONIALLY
10
Medley in pool – team caught with sprint in the middle (9)
POTPOURRI (miscellany; mingled and confused mass; medley)
POT (pool) + POUR (teem [with rain, for example], sounds like [caught] TEAM) + RI (central letters of [in the middle] spRIng
POT POUR RI
11
England’s opener concerned with boundaries on cricket pitch (5)
ERECT (pitch, as in ERECT or pitch a tent)
E (first letter of [opener] England) + RE (with reference to; concerned with) + CT (outer letters of [boundaries of] CrickeT)
E RE CT
12
Soldiers hiding in plant of dark green colour (5)
IVORY (a colour)
OR (other ranks) contained in (hiding in) IVY (a dark green plant)
IV (OR) Y
13
Individuals entering country for another (9)
INDONESIA ([another] country)
ONES (individuals) contained in (entering) INDIA (a country)
IND (ONES) IA
14
Did have to follow doctor that’s inundated (7)
DROWNED (inundated)
DR (doctor) + OWNED (did have)
DR OWNED
16
Son with appropriate way to provide barrier (7)
SANDBAG (a bag of sand or earth, used especially to protect against bomb blasts, floods etc.; a barrier)
S (son) + AND (with) + BAG (seize; steal; appropriate)
S AND BAG
18
Pass your piece of chicken back – getting space in freezer (7)
CRYOGEN (a substance used for obtaining low temperatures; a freezer)
(GO [pass [from one place to another] + YR [textspeak for your] + C [first letter of {piece of} Chicken]) reversed (back) + EN (a printing term denoting a space the size of a letter n)
(C RY OG)< EN
20
President – idiot making American flyer (4,3)
BUSH TIT (a small long-tailed bird of Western America)
BUSH (surname of one of two Presidents of the United States, George H W BUSH [1924 – 2018] and George W BUSH [born 1946]) + TIT (idiot)
BUSH TIT
21
Keep going south: what rag and bone man wants around east (7,2)
SOLDIER ON (continue doggedly in the face of difficulty; keep going)
S (South) + (OLD IRON [what a rag and bone man wants] containing [around] E [East])
S OLD I (E) RON
23
Live sound close to record at first (5)
DWELL (reside; live)
D (last letter of [close to] recorD) + WELL (in good condition; sound)
D WELL
24
Odd route when travelling (5)
OUTRÉ (beyond what is customary or proper; extravagant; odd)
Anagram of (when travelling) ROUTE
OUTRE*
25
Examples of batting positions (9)
INSTANCES (examples)
IN (batting, if a cricket team is IN, it is batting rather than bowling) + STANCES (positions)
IN STANCES
26
Past teams go out: penalties on both sides which are often stuck in the top corner (7,6)
POSTAGE STAMPS (items that are often stuck in the top corner of an envelope)
Anagram of (out) PAST TEAMS GO + PS (outer letters of [on both sides] PenaltieS)
POSTAGE STAM* PS
Down
2
Movement of stars described in tabloids got royals in trouble (9)
ASTROLOGY (study of the supposed influences of the movements and positions of stars and planets on human and terrestrial affairs, basically scientific tosh but beloved by some newspapers; movement of stars described in tabloids)
Anagram of (in trouble) GOT ROYALS
ASTROLOGY*
3
Large jumper over skirt for modesty (5)
ROOMY (spacious; large)
ROO (kangaROO, a large jumper) + MY (outer letters of [skirt] ModestY)
ROO MY
4
Male came, no Viagra initially taken (7)
MARRIED (taken)
M (male) + ARRIvED (came) excluding (no) V (first letter of [initially] Viagra)
M ARRIED
5
Horrible ladies man primarily ignored beautiful women (7)
NAIADES (river or spring nymphs, described as beautiful women. NAIADES is given in Chambers as one of the plural forms of NAIAD)
Anagram of (horrible) lADIES and mAN excluding (ignored) the first letters [primarily], L and M, of each word
NAIADES*
6
American coins term for gun going inside range (9)
APPENINES (1200 kilometre range of mountains running down the spine of peninsular Italy)
A (American) + (N [last letter of [terminal letter [term] of guN] contained in [going inside] PENNIES [coins])
A PENNI (N) ES
7
Escorts picked up in city (5)
LEEDS (city in England)
LEEDS (sounds like [picked up] LEADS [escorts])
LEEDS
8
Boxing result when cut second – one twice knocked out (5,8)
SPLIT DECISION (a DECISION that is not unanimous but is arrived at by a majority, especially in awarding victory in a boxing match)
SPLIT (cut) + an anagram of (knocked out) SECOND and (I [Roman numeral for one] + I [and again, to give one twice])
SPLIT DECISION*
9
It will probably take poker money fair and square (8,5)
STRAIGHT FLUSH (a sequence of five cards of the same suit [royal flush, if headed by the ace]; a hand that will probably win and take the money in a game of poker)
STRAIGHT (fair) + FLUSH (having the surface in the same plane as the adjacent surface; square with)
STRAIGHT FLUSH
15
Thoughtless man supporting Nigel for Reform (9)
NEGLIGENT (careless; irresponsible; thoughtless)
Anagram of (for reform) NIGEL + GENT (man)
NEGLI* GENT
17
Flatter borders start to constrict plant (9)
BUTTERCUP (plant)
BUTTER UP (flatter) containing (borders) C (first letter of [start to] Constrict)
BUTTER (C) UP
19
Tending to go over grass (7)
NURSING (looking after; tending)
RUN (go) reversed (over) + SING (cheat; grass)
NUR< SING
20
Benefits paid for by cutting public transport (7)
BONUSES (extra payments; benefits paid)
ON (by) contained in (cutting) BUSES (examples of public transport)
B (ON) USES
22
Free rent on leave (3,2)
LET GO (free)
LET (rent) + GO (leave)
LET GO
23
Tot and adult play (5)
DRAMA (play)
DRAM (a tot of whisky) + A (adult)
DRAM A
https://fifteensquared.net/2026/10/29/guardian-30150-tramp/
https://fifteensquared.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Guardian-30150.webp
#tramp #pour #guardian #teem #bag #anagram #ivory #ones #ivy #cricket
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2026-10-29 11:37:03 UTC

Enigmatic Variations 1769 Day Job by Artix
Quite a complex preamble to re-enact a day job. Three cells need to accept multiple letters, five more need to be initially blank. There is an unclued perimeter and a change to be applied at the end to fill the blanks and remove 8 out of nine mebers of the set. That makes no sense until clues are solved.
The three cells that needed extra letters started from the end of 20 up to the end of 17 and down to the second cell of 22ac (spelling out PYRAMIDE) in a triangular pattern
PY RAM IDE
The French word for Pyramid and the most famous French version is at the Louvre. The further emphasis of a French theme came from 8 dn TUILERIES (the gardens next to the Louvre)
1ac became RUE DE RIVOLI (to the north of the Louvre)
COURONNES (far right column) meaning crowns and RIVER SEINE At the base of the grid. (to the south of the Louvre)
The title alludes to a recent robbery there involving a LADDER that is to occupy the blank cells from the second last cell of 23dn to the R in COURONNES. To complete the theft the letters in COURONNES (barring the R need to be removed)
Thanks Artix – very topical and a nice execution too
Key * anagram – underline definition Rev reversed DD double definition
Across
8 Fish for all to see in nets at sea (7)
(innets)* around u (for all to see) = TUNNIES
12 Uncle Sam, endlessly flying, departs as Virgin peaks (8)
(uncle sa)* + d (departs) = UNSCALED
13 Green area local embraces (5)
Hidden aREA LOcal = REALO
14 E.g. Nvidia chips Chinese desire (4)
IT (e.g. Nvidia) + ch (Chinese) = ITCH
16 Sue over mousy manure (6)
beg (sue) around dun (mousy) = BEDUNG
17 Put middle of fork into pickle bowl (3)
or (middle of fork) in jam (pickle) = JORAM
18 Frost makes right by kid (4)
hoar swapping r (right) for x (by) = HOAX
19 Bring up booty (4)
DD REAR
20 Clock Eastern curtain-twitcher? (3)
e(eastern) + spy (curtain twitcher) = ESPY
22 They choose party drinks reportedly (4)
Homophone of Ciders (party drinks) = SIDERS
23 Tramps over millet (6)
pros (tramps) + o (over) = PROSO – enter PROSEO
25 Under 20 or roughly 30(4)
(eten)* = TEEN
27 Ruskin’s source and these, his misfortunes, could generate thrills (6)
(thrills – r)* = ILLTHS
29 Maybe McGregor banishes Welsh on-stage whelp (4)
ewan (maybe McGregor) – w (welsh) = EAN – enter DEAN
30 Retired giant from Waltham Forest? (4)
E 10 (Waltham forest) = ETEN
31 Ruin Ferrari’s monocoque? (8)
car (Ferrari) + case(monocoque) = CARCASE enter CARACASE
32 Scale up popular protein (7)
(scale)* + in = SECALIN
33 Rackets where Roy principally overrides odds in sports? (5)
swap r for sp (odds) in sports = RORTS
Down
1 Race Ten initially for smallest dog? (4)
run (race) + t (ten initially) = RUNT
2 Nurse and surgeon prepare for old-timer’s entrance (5)
en (nurse) + ch (surgeon) + arm (prepare for) = ENCHARM
3 Not in country, source of long face (4)
India (country) – in + l (source of long) = DIAL
4 Clumsy shrew-mole drops hot little parasites (8)
(shrew mole – h)* = EELWORMS
5 In the name of God, direct from R&J prologue (5)
ind (in the name of god) + ex (direct from) = INDEX
6 Green composer snubbed practice once (7)
Verdi (composer) – I + ure (practice once) = VERDURE
7 They climb and, after climbing, secure French art (6)
Rev. nail (secure) + es )French art) = LIANES
9 Name port in Senegal (not the same in Othello) (9)
bastia (port) in sen (Senegal – egal(same)) = SEBASTIAN
10 Gas overwhelms middle of pure cell (6)
Neon around ur (middle of pure) = NEURON
11 Neighbours across pond and what might be found there (4)
Alabama(Al) and Georgia(Ga) = ALGA
15 Shy towards ceiling overturned rodent (4)
coy (shy) + Rev. up(towards ceiling) = COYPU
18 Welcome governor opening Alaskan haven (7)
hi (welcome) + dey (governor) + hole (opening) = HIDEYHOLE
21 Sons change dye trader (6)
s (sons) + alter (change) = SALTER
22 What guides idiot savant? (6)
(savant)* = SATNAV
23 Fruit to pierce top-to-bottom (6)
spear (to pierce) swapping s to end = PEARS enter PEARLS
24 In a stew you may see noxious offal (6)
(a stew)* = WASTE enter E-WASTE
26 Get serious after losing tricky set (5)
earnest(serious) – (set)* = EARN enter DEARN
28 Prior to long for rector to leave preacher (4)
preacher – ache(long) + r (rector) = PRE enter PARE
https://fifteensquared.net/2026/10/29/enigmatic-variations-1769-day-job-by-artix/
#dayjob #artix #thanksartix #louvre #couronnes #walthamforest #french #nvidia #chinese #ferrari
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2026-10-29 09:02:19 UTC

Independent 12,499 by Kairos
Oh Dear! Not many days left but we are fortunate that we have two puzzles to blog before the demise of the Independent cryptic. We were more than pleased to have this offering from Kairos.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t until the very end that we noticed the theme. We have ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ featuring Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect plus ‘Life, the Universe and Everything’.
Lots of fun throughout too.
Thanks Kairos for this puzzle and all the others in the Indy.
ACROSS
1. Dance in revolutionary period is futile (2-4)
NO-HOPE
HOP (dance) in a reversal (‘revolutionary’) of EON (period)
4. Picture of legendary king (6)
ARTHUR
We guessed this from ‘Legendary King’ and once we had the theme we realised we were correct. We think that it is a double definition with ‘picture’ referring to the film ‘Arthur’ starring Dudley Moore.
9. This is the result of prang? Not half! (4)
DENT
A sort of clue as definition – DENT (result of accident) which is half of acciDENT
10. The Works, say, stocks pretty light (10)
EVERYTHING
EG (say) around VERY (pretty) THIN (light)
11. Chilli cheeseburger contains exotic item (6)
LICHEE
Hidden (‘contained by’) in chilLI CHEEseburger
12. Actor covers revolutionary singer (4,4)
FILM STAR
FILMS (covers) + a reversal (‘revolutionary’) of RAT (‘singer’)
13. European worker probes row about German growth (9)
EGLANTINE
E (European) + ANT (worker) inside (‘probing’) LINE (row) around G (German)
15. Sentence in biography (4)
LIFE
Double definition
17. Cross and brazen after losing series of battles? (4)
FORD
FORwarD (brazen) ‘losing’ ‘war’ (series of battles)
18. Damp lawns turned into quagmire (9)
SWAMPLAND
An anagram (‘turned into’) of DAMP LAWNS
21. Creation of place to study poetry (8)
UNIVERSE
UNI (place to study) VERSE (poetry) – we had to check the definition
24. Stand next to soldiers? (6)
EGGCUP
A play on the fact that the pieces of toast for dipping into a boiled egg are often called ‘soldiers’
26. Small lamp in aircraft (10)
MICROLIGHT
MICRO (small) LIGHT (lamp)
27. News report of small child cycling (4)
ITEM
MITE (small child) with the first letter moved to the back (‘cycling’)
28. Happy to eat soft chocolate bar (6)
GALAXY
GAY (happy) around (‘eating’) LAX (soft)
29. Walkers and motorcyclists heading off after hours (6)
HIKERS
bIKERS (motorcyclists) missing initial letter (‘heading off’) after H (hours)
DOWN
1. Wanting Mark to underpin articulated joint (7)
NEEDING
DING (mark) underneath (‘underpinning’) a homophone (‘articulated’) of KNEE (joint). We checked that DING and MARK were synonyms – apparently they are when they are nouns describing small physical damage or a negative penalty.
2. Problem couple (5)
HITCH
Double definition
3. Official‘s totally right to drop first point (7)
PREFECT
PERFECT (totally right) with the first ‘e’ (east – ‘point) ‘dropping’
5. Sovereign‘s upset amateur soldiers (5)
ROYAL
A reversal (‘upset’) of LAY (amateur) OR (other ranks – ‘soldiers’)
6. Area of land holds landscape features (2-3)
HA-HAS
HA (area of land – hectare) HAS (holds)
7. Work and other things arising to be behind schedule (3,4)
RUN LATE
RUN (work) and a reversal (‘arising’) of ET AL (other things)
8. One’s perception of folk legends we translated (4-9)
SELF-KNOWLEDGE
An anagram (‘translated’) of FOLK LEGENDS WE
14. Cockney’s shock broadcast (3)
AIR
hAIR (shock) but as it is a Cockney word we drop the ‘h’
16. Evil state (3)
ILL
Double definition – the second being Illinois
17. Getting nothing out of establishing sponsorship (7)
FUNDING
FoUNDING (establishing) missing ‘o’ (nothing)
19. Heartless men regularly turn in wizards (7)
MAESTRI
MAlES (men) missing middle letter (‘heartless’) and alternate (‘regular’) letters in TuRn In
20. Removes nuts from broken tureens! (7)
NEUTERS
An anagram (‘broken’) of TUREENS
22. Trending Roman sex god’s close to brothel (5)
VIRAL
VI (Roman numeral for sex – six in Latin) RA (god) L (last letter or ‘close’ to brothel)
23. Ease of king touring American city (5)
RELAX
REX (king) around (‘touring’) LA (American city)
25. Loudly made fun of Sherpa? (5)
GUIDE
A homophone (‘loudly’) of GUYED (made fun of)
https://fifteensquared.net/2026/10/29/independent-12499-by-kairos/
https://fifteensquared.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Independent-12499-by-Kairos-1.png
#kairos #independent #small #dent #double #light #thankskairos #mark #german #film
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2026-10-16 12:56:58 UTC

Friday, October 16, 2026
Adam Shapiro’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap This is my second themeless this week by Team Fiend’s Adam S! The first was Monday’s competition puzzle in the Boswords Fall Themeless League and that one took me more than twice as … Continue reading →
https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/10/15/friday-october-16-2026/