Solving time: 4:12 There were some good clues this week (such as 21ac, 24ac, 27ac) but much of this was pretty mediocre with lots of extraneous words used to mould the clues’ surface readings. I … Read more “ST 4404 (Sun 24 Oct) – Swede chestnuts”
Month: October 2010
Mephisto 2617 – Mike Laws
I found this one fairly straightforward – 61 minutes, with no books used. S for “starter” next to clue numbers shows the ones I solved the first time I looked at them. E for “ender” … Read more “Mephisto 2617 – Mike Laws”
Saturday Times 24676 (23rd Oct)
I found this one really tough, although maybe I was just feeling a bit battered after a long session of Listener, Magpie and TLS puzzles! About 38 minutes to finish it in all. Sorry this … Read more “Saturday Times 24676 (23rd Oct)”
TLS 851 (8th Oct)
As usual I managed to get about half of this before resorting to Google etc. I actually left it alone for a couple of weeks, only finishing it last weekend in a gruelling session which … Read more “TLS 851 (8th Oct)”
Club monthly 20121 – October 2010
Less than an hour for this one, about 50 minutes or so. It took me a few minutes to get steam up, but then I managed to keep going steadily without any overlong pauses. An … Read more “Club monthly 20121 – October 2010”
Jumbo 893
I always concentrate harder on the Jumbo when I need to write up a blog entry, but even so I found this very straightforward, finishing in under 15 minutes. Perhaps it was the cup of espresso I drank just before … Read more “Jumbo 893”
24681 – Not the easy one I was hoping for!
Solving time: Unrecorded – I still had 9 left after an hour, so in the interests of getting the blog done, I spent another 20 minutes with aids to complete it. I’ve been off work … Read more “24681 – Not the easy one I was hoping for!”
Times 24680 – Hot Tip for Etna
One of my personal favourite devices in cryptic crossword is the use of indirect definitions like hot tip for ETNA. Today’s puzzle has so many that solving and blogging became so much fun for me. ACROSS1 … Read more “Times 24680 – Hot Tip for Etna”
24679 – Championship Preliminary Round 1, Puzzle 3
Solving time: probably between 9 and 11 minutes on the day. I’m pretty sure I solved this in one go, as a diversion from being stuck on one corner of No. 2. As far as … Read more “24679 – Championship Preliminary Round 1, Puzzle 3”
Times 24,678
Timed at 19:09, which seems about right for what I found a very two-paced puzzle – more than half the across clues went in on first look, but things slowed rapidly after that, particularly in … Read more “Times 24,678”