Times Quick Cryptic No 1112 by Orpheus
I zipped through most of this puzzle in about 10 minutes, but then, by gum, the trouble begun! The lower-right corner got me. I used my phone to look up synonyms for 'tramp', then looked up my guess...
View ArticleTimes 27063 - cunninger than a Baldric Cunning Plan
Looking at the SNITCH of recent months, I see that Wednesdays vie with Fridays for offering the sternest tests; apart from the 'yesteryear' challenges which crop up occasionally (another one next week...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic No 27064 Thursday, 14 June 2018 La Viande Rose
I don’t think I really want to admit how long this took*, but it was simply ages. A partial excuse is that the execrable Love Island was playing in the background (don’t ask). But I think it’s also...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic No 1113 by Marty
Sorry, I don’t have a time for this as I was disturbed mid-solve, but it felt relatively normal, possibly even quick for me looking back. I had one clue where the answer appeared obvious, but the...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic No 27,065: Beware the Ides of Off
A very good workout for a Friday with a lot of non-obvious definitions to compliment some cunning wordplay. I did this while on the move, and don't have a time, but I'm confident I soared well past the...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic 1114 by Izetti
Right. Somewhat more challenging than usual I'd say - 12 Minutes for me. Having said that the wordplay is never that sneaky, although 11dn might trip up some. I think it is down to some slightly...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic No 27060 - Saturday, 09 June 2018. Beautiful one day, monsoon...
I am blogging this in beautiful Goa, India. A wonderful place, but since the monsoon arrived yesterday what else to do but crosswords? This was a challenging puzzle, but never impossible. My time was...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic Jumbo No 1327
This was not your usual generous pachydermic fare, but contained some rather chewy bits. Curious vocabulary, such as BOLOMETER, DENARII, ETYMON, TEMPE, ORESTES and DESIDERATUM and some tricky...
View ArticleSunday Times 4802 by Jeff Pearce
9:21. This was what I have come to think of as the typical Jeff Pearce puzzle: quite straightforward, but all very neatly clued and fun to solve. I would recommend Jeff’s puzzles for beginners, but...
View ArticleMephisto 3015 - Paul McKenna
This one took me longer than the last few Mephisto puzzles, and I think one of the things that made it so difficult us the 90-degree symmetry effecively dividing it up into four mini-puzzles, with not...
View ArticleQC 1115 by Joker
I believe this is the first time I have met Joker in the blogging seat and I must thank him for providing me with my PB so far. I hardly had to stop and think. Now, that still means that I came in at...
View ArticleTimes 27006 - The avenue of penitence....
Time: 39 MinutesMusic: Fleetwood Mac, Then Play OnI found this puzzle a bit more difficult than one might expect, but maybe that's just me. I had particular trouble with 'to the life', which doesn't...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic 1116 by Flamande
Thanks to Flamande for a puzzle in which there was a great deal to enjoy. I’d completed the grid in 8 minutes except for 12, 14 and loi 23ac, my final time being just over 10 minutes. CODs to 12ac and...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic 27068
This one took me 38 minutes and was notable mainly for its lack of anagrams - there are only three in all, and the first doesn't appear until 28ac. Also there are two 'substitution' clues, which is a...
View ArticleTimes 201185 - Happy Birthday, Windows.
The day of the last of the TCC qualifiers, so we have an alternative online, from 20 November 1985. (The blog for the Qualifier III, 27069, will, all being well, be published here on 28 June).For an...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic 1117 by Hurley
Apologies are due to the early birds for the slightly later than normal posting - unforeseen circumstances, I'm afraid. This has a bit of everything and I enjoyed solving it. A few bits and pieces were...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic No 27070 Thursday, 21 June 2018 Made in South Caroline
I thought this was pretty straightforward fare, which I completed in my pretty straightforward fare par time of 17 minutes. Sharp eyed students among you will notice this is my third outing in as many...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic No 1118 by Teazel
A touch on the harder side today from Teazel. I had three blank as my target ten minutes came and went: 1d, 2d and 20ac. The last of these was the first to fall, after I worked out the correct place to...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic No 1119 by Tracy
A lovely variation in clue difficulty today, from the very easy to the slightly tricky There are also some nice inventions with a couple of more unusual anagrinds and the clever HIDDEN AGENDA, which...
View ArticleTimes 27,071: The True North Strong And Free!
An excellent crossword, I thought, which packed a lot of brilliance into some very concise clues, and also seemed in places to be celebrating a large country I'm quite fond of, perhaps a week or two...
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