Mini crossword No 369

Really enjoyed this. 1d and 2d probably my favourites. 5a was very neatly done as well. Thanks sirdakka.

Nice to see you back, Josh, and with a cracker. 5a, 6a, 1d, 3d my faves. Thanks. PM

Initially this woeful attempt to unravel your little scheme was harder than it should have been. Eventually 4d suddenly switched a bulb on and all went in smoothly, with 5a my fave. How nice to see you back.

What a gem! I caught on to the theme quickly but still found it tricky. I couldn't parse 1d but 1a, 2d and 5a were my favourites. Thanks.

Lovely! Thanks… I particularly enjoyed 6a and 7a, which is also educational! Cheers!

Hearty congrats on #10 - an inspiring achievement. Now that you've hit 10, I'm curious to hear whether / how your relationship with this clue type has changed. For instance, has it gotten easier over time, perhaps with recognizable or reliable patterns, or is each individual clue a unique challenge of its own? Are you still finding surprises and/or surprising yourself? Etc. In this puzzle, I struggled with 1a and 1d, and both ended up amongst my favs, along with 5a, 6a, and 2d. Thanks again!

Absolutely nailed it. I admittedly had trouble with a device or two (the middle part of 1d took a Google to understand, and I'm not known for my knowledge of bridge terminology, but all very fair!) but when able to reflect on the wordplay post-solve, I am left simply to admire the precision and fairness at play. I will make a point of checking out your earlier puzzles. Thanks!

Tricky stuff, not all of which I constructed right, although I found the solutions. Great fun to sink one's teeth into though. The ones that clicked together smoothest for me were 7a,3d,4d. Loved the surface of 2d as well!