Times Cryptic No 27066 - Saturday, 16 June 2018. Fast but unsure.
This took me just over 17 minutes – a new PB, I’m sure, even though I still had several clues to parse for this blog. In fact the blog caused me to reconsider 17ac, so ignore the time above! For all...
View ArticleJumbo 1328
Nothing particularly problematic in this, just a couple of things to check after solving (15D, part of 19D and the definition part of 35D). A couple of words (26A and 28D) that I have only ever seen in...
View ArticleSunday Times Cryptic 4803, by Dean Meyer — No escheating!
In this batch of succinct, often witty clues, we have four excellent examples of double definitions, two that use disparate senses of the same word (23a and 6d) and two that involve homonyms (17 and...
View ArticleMephisto 3016 - Don Manley
No problems with this straightforward puzzle.In the blog, the definition in the clue is underlined and followed by the answer; the parsing; any commentsAcross1 Hits making insect half confused (4)WAPS:...
View ArticleTimes 27073 - Jumbly polysyllables out the ass
And here we are, fresh from an invigorating trip to Greece, the second part of which was spent on the fair isle of Chios, not a million miles away from the place referenced at 14 down. This was a nice...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic 1120 by Izetti
My time of 7 minutes might suggest this is an easy puzzle and indeed I had only one hold-up along the way, but I was very aware whilst solving that there is some tricky stuff going on here so I shall...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic 1121 by Orpheus
Apart from the monster(s) in the blog - refer to 3dn - there was nothing too scary here (except, perhaps, my ignorance of 13dn) and I registered a fast time of 7:12 - can I have cracked sub 2 on the...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic 27074
If Monday was the new Monday this week (as claimed by Kevin yesterday) I don't know where that leaves this puzzle which I found even easier and it delayed me only 20 minutes. Edit: Thanks to...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic No 1122 by Flamande
Masterful.After some recent puzzles, I was bracing myself for a real doozy. On the contrary, I found this to be relatively straightforward — but the best kind of straightforward, where the surface...
View ArticleTimes 27075 - Is it still Monday?
After Monday's stroll with the SNITCH at only 70, and yesterday's at 71, you'd think I'd be in for a brain buster. But no, I had all but two of these clues sorted in 14 minutes, and 16a and 22d in...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic No 1123 by Mara
Well inside my harder target of 10 minutes, this took only 8 for me again this morning afer an unofficial PB yesterday, so I doubt there will be many complaints about this puzzle being too hard. There...
View ArticleTimes 27069 - TCC third qualifier published 20 June
A sub 15 minute time on this, IMO the easiest of the three qualifiers this year. Plenty of scope for biffing, although some of the definitions are quite erudite, e.g. 10a, 21d. There is one plant which...
View ArticleTimes 27076 - put that bloody cigarette out!
Solving time: 24:15. The most difficult puzzle I have tried in a while, and although I'm three cocktails in I think this is a legitimate challenge, as most clues required an understanding of both...
View ArticleTimes 27,077: Ignorance, Madam, Pure Ignorance
This was gentlish fare for a Friday, taking me no more than about 7 minutes on paper, but there was a light touch to the cluing and I chuckled and groaned in all the right places. I don't have a...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic 1124 by Alfie
Now, I expect this one will divide opinion. It was an enjoyable solve, and the wordplay is by and large reasonable, with the exception of 2dn maybe, and possibly 26ac if you think reversed hidden words...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic No 27072 - Saturday, 23 June 2018. Thar she blows!
Another typically challenging Saturday puzzle, I thought. I had to do it in bits and pieces because I was otherwise engaged all that day, so I don’t have a time, but it rates as another steady solve...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic Jumbo 1329: B for Mutton
A straightforward enough Jumbo with some nicely concise cluing, and which touched on some interesting areas of general knowledge in the across clues. Did I blog this one on the actual correct day for...
View ArticleSunday Times 4804 by David McLean
13m. Nothing too taxing from Harry this week, but the usual high standard and some nice witty clues. I don’t have much more to add, and am a bit short of time this week, so without further...
View ArticleMephisto 3017 - Tim Moorey
I didn't have a lot of question marks next to entries in this one, but I did have to look up a lot of references. Tim Moorey tends to scatter places, people and things from a wide range of times and...
View ArticleMonthly Club Special 20,213: Around The World In 29 Clues
A real vocab-fest this month, taking in Antipodean and American slang, Indonesian medicine, a heated Chinese sleeping platform, a Japanese hostelry, an Indian water porter, an African mountain and that...
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