Solving time: 32mins A curious solving experience, with many clues apparently intractable at first glance eventually proving to be just extremely well and divertingly constructed when a few checking letters finally became available. I was … Read more “Times 24378 – In which I Begin to See the Light”
Month: November 2009
ST 4353 (Sun 1 Nov) – Wash daze
Solving time: 10 mins A very good puzzle, I thought – the surface readings (i.e. how the clues read if you pretend they aren’t cryptic crossword clues) were excellent throughout and the clues were accurate … Read more “ST 4353 (Sun 1 Nov) – Wash daze”
Mephisto 2566 by Mike Laws
I’m standing in for Peter, who is on holiday. This is yet another in a growing line of easier puzzles. There is really very little to say about it except I was grateful that the … Read more “Mephisto 2566 by Mike Laws”
Saturday Times 24371 (Oct 31)
Solving time 10:11 over a pint while the missus was getting her face threaded. There were a couple I put in on faith though – 9D and 20A had to be checked in the dictionary … Read more “Saturday Times 24371 (Oct 31)”
Jumbo 840 (24 Oct)
Solving time: 1hr 30mins (1 mistake) Welcome to my first blog. If you’re partial to a snack, this should be right up your street. We’ve got Satay Pot Noodles, hot-dogs, tapas and marshmallows. This was … Read more “Jumbo 840 (24 Oct)”
Times 24376
Time taken to solve – 30 minutes which would have been 10 minutes less but for a delay at the end trying to work out 1ac, 1dn and 15ac. Friday’s puzzle is often difficult so … Read more “Times 24376”
Times 24375: – the day the hussy mis-stepped
Solving time : 11 minutes – after disasters on Monday and Tuesday from not knowing obscure references, this was much more along my wavelength. I made a few bungling guesses originally (particularly putting FISHING at … Read more “Times 24375: – the day the hussy mis-stepped”
Times 24374 – Unexplained Dark Ages
dd = double definitioncd = cryptic definitionrev = reversed or reversalins = insertioncha = charadeha = hidden answer*(fodder) = anagram In this, the third and last of my locum duty for Peter B, I sped … Read more “Times 24374 – Unexplained Dark Ages”
Times 24,373 Child’s Play?
Solving time : 30 minutes A puzzle for the literati and lovers of obscure herbs. The grid is almost two separate puzzles, left and right sides, and I had the RHS filled in very quickly. … Read more “Times 24,373 Child’s Play?”
Times 24372 – The airhead and the Dalmatian
Solving time: 31 minutes Music: Vaughn Williams, Symphony #6, Boult/LPO. When I first looked at this one, I was afraid I was in for a long night, reading through the clues for 10 minutes before … Read more “Times 24372 – The airhead and the Dalmatian”