Solving time: 13:08 Relieved to finish in a reasonable time. There were three words I just didn’t know: 28 (MAYWEED) was a plausible name for a plant, but 23 (ZENANA) and 19 (STABILE) were bold … Read more “Times 24207”
Month: April 2009
Jumbo 808
Solving time: 16:43 A very quick solve, so I’m quite surprised that I’ve found so many clues to write about. The 18-12 victory for downs in the comment count suggests that my usual solving order … Read more “Jumbo 808”
Times 24206
Solving time: 10:03 This should please Jimbo more than yesterday’s, I think. Arts has three people (if you count Icarus) to science’s one (Piaget), but there’s lots of inventive wordplay and not much reliance on … Read more “Times 24206”
Times 24,205 Little to tical my fancy
Solving time : 25 minutes A largely straightforward puzzle with one or two little niggles and too many weak cryptic definitions. Nothing particularly stood out for me. Across 1 TICK – two meanings 1=time, 2=irritating … Read more “Times 24,205 Little to tical my fancy”
Times 24204 – Dhabi Day
Solving time: 40 minsMusic: Prokofiev Classical Symphony/Ivanov Caucasian Sketches, Rozhadestvensky/Moscow Philharmonic I admit I was a little nervous printing this one off at 8:01 PM EDT, but solving the first clue before the page was … Read more “Times 24204 – Dhabi Day”
Mephisto 2537 Tim Moorey
An excellent puzzle of reasonable difficulty with some very good clues. I thought both KWAKIUTL and PSITTACINE top class whilst HELLIERS is outstanding. The clever use of “fulham” appealed to me and demonstrates the need … Read more “Mephisto 2537 Tim Moorey”
ST 4324 (Sun 12 Apr) – Take a deep breath
Solving time: 8:40 Standard fare with a mixture of good (1ac, 13ac) and bad (15ac, 7dn, 8dn). * = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’. Across 1 AQUALUNG – nice pun on ‘the deep’ = … Read more “ST 4324 (Sun 12 Apr) – Take a deep breath”
Times Jumbo 807 – A Game of Two Halves
Apologies for slight lateness – I went to post as usual earlier this week, then realised that the online solution wasn’t yet published, presumably because of a deadline extended over the Easter holidays, so held … Read more “Times Jumbo 807 – A Game of Two Halves”
Saturday Times 24197 (11th April)
Solving time 14:40, so about average. This was a puzzle of fits and starts for me, where I got off to a good start, then stuck completely for a while, then raced to the finish. … Read more “Saturday Times 24197 (11th April)”
Times Crossword 24202
Solving time: 15.22. I finished most of the puzzle within 10 minutes but then ground to a halt in the top left, where a combination of interlocking blind spots left me unable to break either … Read more “Times Crossword 24202”