Crossword editor’s desk: clues for Michael Stipe and a life in puzzles | Crosswords

A brand new ebook about crosswords? From one of many Guardian’s setters? And one of many setters who has set throughout the board, edited different collection as well, and introduced contemporary faces into the sport?It’s true. Maskarade, AKA Tom Johnson, has printed All Squared. I hereby suggest it and direct you right here to discover ways to order a duplicate for your self and one other for a beloved one’s beloved Christmas current.Final time, I puzzled why we not had humorous adverts. I’m completely satisfied to cross on Leadballoon’s point-by-point take. If your individual department of the world has much less humour and if in case you have, like Leadballoon, an evaluation that isn’t an apparent culture-wars salvo, please share. Additionally: am I proper in pondering that cryptics are these days extra – not much less – amusing?Some eye-catching options of September’s Genius: the underlining within the instruction “Options must be fitted into the grid jigsaw-wise, wherever they’ll go.” (We are able to’t underline right here, so we’ve used daring.) Phrases acquainted from Araucaria’a puzzles, however Soup should imply one thing not fairly the identical. And is that … 11 15-letter entries?Genius 267 solutionIt is! However on this jigsaw, a few of the items match alongside each other in these lengthy columns and rows: a unique form of problem and bravo to people who made the whole match. Odo is behind this month’s Genius: inform your pals. And if your pals assume they’ll’t do “superior cryptics”: ship them right here.Many thanks in your clues for STIPE. The audacity award is Jacob_Busby’s for the prolonged “One who calls Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, Lester Bangs and Penelope Pitstop again, albeit briefly” – and wouldn’t she have enhanced tune?The runners-up are Montano’s ingenious “STEM topics: Expertise, IT, Physics and Engineering, to begin with” and Newlaplandes’s elegant “Singer’s backing contribution to maintain it easy”; the winner is the luxurious “Band shedding faith’s lead?”Kludos to Calmasyoulike; please depart entries for ALL SQUARE under, together with any favorite clues or puzzles you have got noticed.188 Phrases for Rain by Alan Connor is printed by Ebury (£16.99). To assist the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Supply costs could apply.