Solving time: Turned to a dictionary after 20 mins for 11ac and 8dn. Harder than usual this week with several obscurities. I didn’t know the flower PENSTEMON, the fossil (and old tribesman) AMMONITE, the EROSE … Read more “ST 4358 (Sun 6 Dec) – Fossil fool”
Month: December 2009
Saturday Times 24401 – placeholder
Sorry, working again this weekend – and this time the boss is here! Also, I’ve lost my copy of the puzzle, but I’ll try to get something up this evening. Well, that didn’t go according … Read more “Saturday Times 24401 – placeholder”
Times Crossword 24406
Solving time: 9.31 I sat looking at this in total horror for the first half minute or so, then saw 14A and 3D, and everything began to fall in to place quite smoothly after that, … Read more “Times Crossword 24406”
Times 24405 – Yummy with a piquant touch
dd = double definitioncd = cryptic definitionrev = reversed or reversalins = insertioncha = charadeha = hidden answer*(fodder) = anagram I am glad to be given a regular fortnightly spot in these blogs. Of all … Read more “Times 24405 – Yummy with a piquant touch”
Jumbo 845 – well worth the time
It should be safe to put this up now – entries are due today and I suspect the winner has already been selected. If you didn’t do this one, I’d recommend fetching it from the … Read more “Jumbo 845 – well worth the time”
Times 24404
Solving time: 7:23 A fairly straightforward puzzle – minor delays for me from marking 20 in the grid as a (6,8) rather than (8,6) until the placing of ‘a sure’ fixed this, and with 1A … Read more “Times 24404”
Times 24,403
Time of 12 minutes, with the only delay caused by unconsciously putting a rogue S instead of N at the end of 29 across, which held up the SE corner. I’d describe this as straightforward … Read more “Times 24,403”
Times 24402 – When the going gets tough…
Solving time: 55mins An ecclesiastical garment, a church cranny, a book of the bible, a plant and the odd city or two; what more could one wish for on a Monday morning? Being unable to … Read more “Times 24402 – When the going gets tough…”
Mephisto 2570 – Tim Moorey
Quite a tricky puzzle this – 80-odd minutes with Chambers used from roughly halfway – though 10 minutes or so of this came from a mistaken answer for 32, without which I’d have guessed 9D … Read more “Mephisto 2570 – Tim Moorey”
ST 4357 (Sun 29 Nov) – Illegal tender
Solving time: 7:22 I suspect the likes of Tony will demolish my time for this – I’ve had three weeks of very few crosswords and this felt commensurately pedestrian, including writing REDEEMED in the space … Read more “ST 4357 (Sun 29 Nov) – Illegal tender”