Sunday Times 4540 (2 Jun 2013) by Tim Moorey
Solving time: I don't know as I solved offline and forgot to check the time.I had most of this solved in about an hour, although I was being distracted by the TV at the time. But I couldn't fathom the...
View ArticleTimes 25497 - From 5 to 85
Solving time: 32 minutesMusic: Shostakovich, Symphony #10, Karajan/BPONo easy Monday today. While the long clues in the middle may not be very difficult, there's a lot to chew on around the edge of the...
View ArticleTimes 25,498
Morning, all, I am standing in for Jim while he's on holiday. Timed at 13:24, and based on the leaderboard so far*, this might be a bit of a tester for the less experienced. Some good stuff here,...
View ArticleTimes Crossword 10,334 - Another Antique!
Solving Time: About 22 minutes. We have another offering from the 1960s today, as the second qualifier is published. I thought this a pleasant, essentially fair crossword, if a little strange in...
View ArticleTimes 25500 - Good To The Last Drop
What a lovely puzzle that has everything and then some. No gimme clues at all as each one had to be unravelled painstakingly - thus the headline, inspired by a wee dram of Glen Morangie, probably the...
View ArticleTimes 25501
I really struggled to get going on this one having lost confidence in my solving skills almost immediately because I started by looking at the four 3-letter clues and only managed to crack one of them....
View ArticleJumbo 1038
Very straightforward (unlike number 1039, which I am glad I avoided blogging). It was not difficult to select clues to omit, but if you need help on any of them please let me know.Across1 DACHSHUND -...
View ArticleSaturday Times 25496 (8th June)
Over 45 minutes to solve, but I don't think that reflects the difficulty of the puzzle. The four perimeter answers went in pretty quickly and I thought it was going to be another Saturday doddle, but...
View ArticleMephisto 2754 by Don Manley - Kilroy Was Here
A gentle Mephisto, just right for solving on the edge of lake Como with a glass of vino.Across1WAPENSCHAW - (wan chaps we)*; arms inspection in Wick; 10OGAMIC - O-GAM-IC; old=O; school=GAM; the Celtic...
View ArticleSunday Times 4541 (9 Jun 2013) by Jeff Pearce
Solving time: About 35 minutes offlineI had all but six in about 25 minutes, then those last ones came at a crawl. My final 6 were 12, 17, 23, 25, 27 & 29, so mainly in the SE corner.Quite a few of...
View ArticleTimes 25503 - Hail England's Rose!
Buoyed by getting up to watch an Englishman win a Major for the first time in years, I found this nice number waiting for me at the office. With England through to the semis of the World Underwater...
View ArticleTimes 25,504
Solving time 20 minutesMy thanks to Tim for swapping with me whilst I had a short break. I returned to find both the ill judged letter from The Times about the Crossword Club and the blog giving...
View ArticleTimes 25505 - A turn up for the books
Solving Time: It's rude and a bit obsessive to countWell, this is a blast from the past, although not necessarily for me... a blast that is. I'm a little rusty (if you'll pardon the pun), having hung...
View ArticleTimes Crossword 25,499 - Second Championship Qualifier
Solving Time: Traditionally we don't discuss these, for the qualifying competition. Disclosing your time will merely give others either a probably unjustified sense of optimism, or an unhelpful gloomy...
View ArticleTimes 25506 - The Final Countdown
Solving time : 10:34 on that endangered species, the Club Timer, good for second spot right now. I suspect I could have been considerably quicker if the two long anagrams came quickly to mind.Like many...
View ArticleTimes 25507
Solving time: 33:09I rattled through the top half in about 10 minutes, but slowed down a bit towards the bottom.A pretty enjoyable romp today. It's rather nice to get one that doesn’t involve me...
View ArticleTimes 25509 - Comparisons are....
Solving time: 29 minutes Music: Eric Clapton, UnpluggedThis should be pretty easy for most solvers, unless there is something crucial that you just don't know. Fortunately, the definitions and the...
View ArticleTimes 25,510 - The Sioux Wars Revisited
Solving time 25 minutesQuite a potpourri here with a dodgy homophone, a couple of definitions by example (chicken for fowl and fairy for moth), and a reference to a rather London-centric travel device...
View ArticleTimes 25511: Purely academic
Solving time: 55:02So, for me at least, a hard slog. Almost came to grief in the SE corner with four answers missing after 40-ish minutes. And still have one parsing to work through. Might need some...
View ArticleTimes 25512 - Advantage, Murray
What a thriller of a night at Wimbledon. Maria Sharapova & Roger Federer eliminated by newbies but the Brits must be very happy for Andy Murray. Now if someone were to beat Novak Djokovic, Murray...
View Article