If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. Nita Jaggi's Early Crosswords (THC 9338 – 9347).GridmANAlysis (Guest post by Chaturvasi).When compared with yesterday’s puzzle (9349), a positive observation is more equitable distribution across different clue types. Anagrams lead the list with 5 whole anagrams, 1 almost whole (ALIGHTING), the rest in combination with other clue types. The breakup of wordplay techniques used in puzzle 9350 shows a leaning towards anagrams and straight definitions. With F entered, the answer fit in.Ģ4 You take out round primarily colourful California flower (5) Y) The reversal and hidden word indicators were immediately identified, and a quick glance at the fodder confirmed that this was not a city I knew. IDEAL POINT is a standard term in geometry, perhaps using that definition would have been more apt.ġ9 It allows you to locate a point on a map (4,6)GRID SYSTEM : Straight/Cryptic DefinitionĢ1 City, in fine, is backward in parts (4) IFNI <- : Reversal + Telescopic The clue here does not lead to any definite solution, only a likely answer to the question. To find a direct answer after all is quite anti-climactic! Also, if a phrase appears in the solution, it should have standard/popular meaning. (Doesn’t the word EARNEST appears really often in crosswords?)ġ4 Right to have more than eight coming back for an enzyme (5) R ENIN<- : Charade + ReversalĬoding NINE as “more than eight” is rather tame!ġ5 Rex to employ a trick (4) R USE : Charadeġ6 From where a tourist would like to see a scenic spot? (5,5) IDEAL POINT : Straight/Cryptic DefinitionĪ clue ending with ? makes one think that there is something cryptic or witty about it.

With the brown=TAN association the answer was obvious.ġ0 One who can give cover for life (7) INSURER : Straight/Cryptic DefinitionĪll right, cryptic definition but was straightforward enough to get solved quickly.ġ3 Seriously, tanneries cleaned up (2,7) IN EARNEST * : AnagramĮasy anagram.

But what is “coptic divine”? I didn’t know, so the solution was on hold till the checking letters were confirmed.ĩ Brown follows hub set up in country (6) BHU* TAN : Anagram + Charadeīrown is probably meant to be taken as a proper noun in the surface reading, though it didn’t work like that. I saw the wordplay and thought ABBA – had the definition been “pop band” the answer would have been entered right away. Good surface reading.Ħ Coptic divine for putting two sailors back to back (4)AB BA<- : Charade + Reversal That said, the surface reading of the clues is pretty good overall and the wordplay plays by the rules, though I would welcome a little more novelty.ġ Original strip remodelled by one new engineering head (8) PRIST* I N E : Anagram + Selected LettersĮasy anagram, direct abbreviations. I am also not keen on straightforward definitions, there were one too many in this puzzle.

The emphasis in this puzzle seemed to be on knowledge more than wordplay. There were many words in the puzzle not familiar to me, but as these were derivable from the wordplay it was a matter of verifying online if the solutions were correct. I solved this puzzle in fits and starts – filled in 40% of the answers in a hurried first pass in the morning, another 40% in the evening and then resorted to electronic aid (Wikipedia and ).

Witty chitchat crossword