Solving time: 5:18 A straightforward puzzle with one or two more difficult words and names, but for once I knew them so this time was below par. * = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’. … Read more “ST 4237 (Sun 12 Aug) – Drog star”
Month: August 2007
Unofficial Times cryptic RTC No. 5 – your times please
(This is a weekly unofficial contest based on your times for the Times cryptic crossword from Saturday to Friday.) At last I can log a set of all-correct times adding up to less than an … Read more “Unofficial Times cryptic RTC No. 5 – your times please”
23,682 – Gunning for homophones
If you follow my blogs here and on Fifteensquared, you may realise that I don’t like dodgy homophones, and 24ac held me up for a minute or two today. Other than that, this was pretty … Read more “23,682 – Gunning for homophones”
23681 – comparisons are odo(rife)rous
Solving time: 12:53 No show-stoppers but a lot of clues that needed thinking about, and a fair number that I filled in without understanding the wordplay at the time. I think there are only five … Read more “23681 – comparisons are odo(rife)rous”
23680 – making sense
Solving time 6:57 Quick start, with 1A (a classic easy but entertaining clue) falling immediately, but slowed down a bit in the bottom half. In various clues we have references to eyes, brains and sound … Read more “23680 – making sense”
Jumbo 710
Solving time 14:36 A pretty easy puzzle, but the clues read well and there are a couple of good &lit clues. The 15×15 cryptic on the same day was really tough, so this one’s low … Read more “Jumbo 710”
Unofficial Times cryptic RTC contest No. 4 – results
Mark Goodliffe returns from holiday in sparkling form to win the championship scoring by over 20 minutes. Tony Sever grabs second mainly by virtue of a good time for the tough Saturday puzzle. In the RTC … Read more “Unofficial Times cryptic RTC contest No. 4 – results”
Times 23679/hard work
Solving time: 44:55 This felt like hard work. Exacerbated since the puzzle wasn’t available online – so, necessity being the mother of invention, I was forced onto the streets of NYC where I actually did … Read more “Times 23679/hard work”
23678 – pons pontis
Solving time of 36:19 Pretty straightforward overall, although some wordplay to think about.I got the two long ones quickly and finished off the LHS fairly quickly – last to go in were 20D and 28A. … Read more “23678 – pons pontis”
Mephisto 2499-Mike Laws
Most of this puzzle fell into place, but it would have helped if I could have worked out the wordplay for 1ac, as I originally had CANNABIS in and that held up my progress on … Read more “Mephisto 2499-Mike Laws”