Saturday Times 25406 (23rd Feb)
Solving time 12:26 for a fairly straightforward Saturday puzzle. Mark Goodliffe certainly found it so, clocking 4:57 on the Club timer, although he still only managed 36th place behind the neutrinos...
View ArticleSunday Times 4526 (25 Feb 2013) by Jeff Pearce
Solving time: 28:12That's two sub-30 minute times on the trot for me, so I'm to get worried about what Dean might have in store for next week!I started with 1a, but I quickly turned my attention to the...
View ArticleMephisto 2739 - Don Manley
Didn't get very far with this one at a first glance, but coming back after a few days, it became a pretty steady solve. Right now I'm still a little unsure of one piece of wordplay (28 across) but it...
View ArticleJumbo 1022 - placeholder
I was struck by technological disaster last week, as my laptop died shortly after I posted Tuesday's blog (and I am obviously thankful that it was shortly after, rather than shortly before). As we were...
View ArticleTimes 25413 - 'Allo 'allo, what's this ear?
20 minutes for all bar 17 and 24 then another 11 on these. Mostly very easy, mais il y a une mauvaise surprise, non?Across1 S+CAMP4 BIG DIPPER - switchback is another term for a roller coaster. 9...
View ArticleTimes 25,414 From A Riot To An Irreversible Process
Solving time 20 minutesVery straightforward puzzle that shouldn't cause any problems.Across1MERTHYR,TYDFIL - (thirty fled army without "a")*; M-T is a Welsh town famous for the 1831 uprising of iron...
View ArticleTimes Crossword 25,415 - Tricky
Solving Time: 24 minutes, so harder than average. I put in several answers on a wing and a prayer rather, and was relieved to find them all correct. I think there are a number of quite tricky clues...
View ArticleTimes 25416 - A Sense of Deja Vu
A sense of deja vu prevailed this morning as I sat down to tackle this puzzle. Wasn't it only a couple of days ago that I stood in to blog the Independent puzzle for Monday and 1 Across wasGive added...
View ArticleTimes 25417 - Nothing to hide!
35 minutes with time lost getting started due to blogger's nerves but once under weigh I found this very straightforward and (whisper it softly) just a little on the dull side. And I'm afraid this will...
View ArticleThe Times National Crossword Championship 2013
One of my few remaining regular excuses to post:This year’s championship will take place on Saturday October 19th in the News International Building at 3 Thomas More Square, near the Tower of London....
View ArticleSaturday Times 25412 (2nd March) - C-C-C-Crikey!
Solving time - off the scale, and I made a mistake with 24ac. Probably around 45 minutes, but I'd stopped counting by then. I actually noticed the C-Nina after the first half-dozen clues went in -...
View ArticleJumbo 1023
A fair puzzle with a couple of unfamiliar words. 7D was my last one in as the checking letters did not suggest much - I left it blank initially until my subconscious came back to me with a solution, so...
View ArticleMephisto 2740 by Tim Moorey - Of Titters And Totters
A medium difficulty puzzle that was a pleasant, if slightly frenetic, solve and blog as I was unable to look at the puzzle until yesterday! Last weekend produced some interesting puzzles and amongst...
View ArticleSunday Times 4527 (3 Mar 2013) by Dean Mayer
I thought I might be under 30 minutes again, but there were three stubborn ones at the end that took a few extra minutes. 16, 25 & 26 were the culprits. Dean mentioned on his blog a week or two ago...
View ArticleTimes 25419 - O Mary Don't You Weep
A win for the setter today. Having safely negotiated my way to Scandinavia, I sadly disappeared without a trace over the North Sea, if you get my ... meaning. Those who have not yet done Sunday's...
View ArticleTimes 25,420
13:03 on the Club timer, so nothing too demanding here by that measure. Solid, nicely put together puzzle, though; where clues needed more careful analysis, the wordplay seemed perfectly clear in...
View ArticleTimes 25421: AS MAD ’S MONOD
Solving time: 18:40Nothing special here except a possibly obscure board game — the one at 23dn that is. There’s a nod in the direction of instruments you blow into but, alas, not the strings (8dn). The...
View ArticleTimes 25422 - pomp and...
Completely mea culpa - I was not able to get to this last night and forgot to put up a placeholder. Blog coming soon, really. Fortunately I don't think there'll be too much controversial here.Solving...
View ArticleTimes 25423
Solving time: 47:29I got held up for about 10 minutes at the end on the 3d/8a pair.I'm too tired to put more of a description in yet, but I shall try and flesh it out a bit in the morning.cd = cryptic...
View ArticleSaturday Times 25418 (9th March)
Solving time 16:16, figuring-out-all-the-wordplay time much longer! This was a really good puzzle, not too tricky but a few answers went in without full understanding. The setter hit a purple patch in...
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