Times Quick Cryptic 310 by Flamande
I steamed through this one in 5 minutes which I think is my fastest ever solve, and with every clue understood as I went along apart from 23 where the answer was clear but the source of the anagram...
View ArticleTimes 26101 – All Hands on Deck?
I’m going through a bit of a British propaganda war movie phase at the moment, including a brace of films released a year apart which both feature ‘way’ in the title, one starring John Mills (rather...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic No 311 by Orpheus
Tougher than yesterday's (15 minutes) but entertaining nevertheless. 19dn caused problems but when the penny dropped it was awarded my COD. Those with a greater depth of experience in the pronunciation...
View ArticleTimes 26,102
I've never complained about it, but my alternate Tuesdays are normally pretty run-of-the-mill, and I can't remember the last time I had a puzzle which really stood out for any reason, good or bad. Not...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic No 312 by Rongo
A doff of the cap and deep bow to Rongo for an excellent puzzle. I thought this was a great example of everything a Quick Cryptic should be - no obscure vocabulary, no esoteric general knowledge...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic from June 1973 - those were the days, my friends
After yesterday's stinker, I was hoping for a testing but solvable 'normal' puzzle to demonstrate my blogging skills (or lack of), so my hopes were dashed when I saw I'd landed another vintage jobbie...
View ArticleTimes 26104 - it's pangram week!
Solving time : 12:29, which right now puts me as second on the Club Timer, though there's a lot of the usual early faster times with one mistake (9 and 13 look like prime candidates for...
View ArticleTimes Quick Cryptic No 313 by Teazel
Solving time: middlingMorning and a thanks to everyone who came to the S&B do on Tuesday. A lovely convivial day with lots of good chat and general fun (will reveal more about what a certain setter...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic No 314 by Oran
I don't know why our setter trades as 'Oran' - no doubt there is a story behind it, or perhaps he is Mr Gutan, who knows. Either way, he sets a good entry level puzzle with some clever d.defs and...
View ArticleTimes 26,105: How Green Was My Wake-Up Call
"So how long did it take you to finish Richard Rogan's puzzle this week?""Tuesday.""No, I said...""Yes, I heard you. Tuesday. All of it."Quite a memorable week for the Times Cryptic with the...
View ArticleJumbo 1148
Nothing too tricky here. A couple of unfamiliar words (15A, 17A) and a few nice clues (37A in particular)No solving time notedAcross1 TEPID - TEP = PET = favourite, reversed, I.D. = papers4 BRIEFED -...
View ArticleSaturday Times 26100 (16th May)
Solving time 12:15, helped by the two 15-letter answers going straight in. 1ac was tricky to parse and I had to wait until all the crossers were in. Some grammatical oddities in the grid - 28ac and 9dn...
View ArticleMephisto 2855 - Paul McKenna
I have a closing night tonight and won't get this done until early-afternoon Sunday UK time. Feel free to query below, the hive mind of Mephisto solvers I'm sure will assist.Hope nobody was seriously...
View ArticleSunday Times 4642 by Tim Moorey
15:27. I spent over half of this time staring at 19ac. I came up with what turned out to be the answer very quickly, but I couldn't justify it in any way so I spent ages trying to come up with...
View ArticleTimes Jumbo 1147 (Bank Holiday) - placeholder
Noting that tomorrow is a bank holiday made me realise I lost track of the Jumbo schedule, i.e. I haven't yet posted the blog for the May day holiday puzzle, so apologies, it will appear asap.
View ArticleQuick Cryptic 315 by Joker
Today is the Spring bank holiday in the UK, though the rest of the world shouldn't feel left out as there's a preponderance of other observances to occupy one's time, including Africa Day, Geek Pride...
View ArticleTimes 26107 - Over and over, more or less
Solving time: 23 minutesMusic: Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante, Davis/LSO.We're back to the easy Monday mode, with many of the clues being chestnuts that I was unfortunately very slow to recognize. My LOI...
View ArticleTimes Cryptic 26108
Once again I thought I was in for a tricky solve as I read through many a clue before finding an answer that leapt to mind at 5dn, but as I progressed it came together very nicely and I completed the...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic No 316 by Hurley
Two long anagrams, an unusual instrument and a great clue at 20ac add interest and challenge. Congrats to Norwich City for their success yesterday (commiserations to Boro) - I don't think I can blame...
View ArticleQuick Cryptic Number 317 by Tracey
I hope I’m not alone in finding this one quite tricky. There is plenty to get you started, including several short answers and two hidden words (although one is cleverly obfuscated by brackets), and...
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