Solving time: 24:13 Well, that’s how long it took to put a letter in every square, plus as many attempts at parsing as I could manage along the way. Still not sure of a couple, … Read more “Times 25684: The bare necessities”
Month: January 2014
Times 25,683
My thanks to Tim for standing in for me last week – this is me making up the deficit. This is a largely 11A puzzle with the occassional rather dated reference. It shouldn’t cause seasoned … Read more “Times 25,683”
Times 25682 – One for the nursery slopes
18 minutes and expecting records to fall faster than English wickets. Any dog-lovers with a bit of time on their hands (or indeed people who crave an American-sized kitchen) may enjoy this – one smart … Read more “Times 25682 – One for the nursery slopes”
Sunday Times 4571 (5 Jan 2014) by Jeff Pearce
Solving time: 55:04 I struggled with this one a bit, although looking back now, I’m not sure why. It took me quite a long while to get going with it. I think I was just … Read more “Sunday Times 4571 (5 Jan 2014) by Jeff Pearce”
2784 by Don Manley. Water, water, everywhere
This blog was produced under somewhat difficult circumstances caused by the bad weather. Hopefully by the time it appears my internet access will have been restored but apologies in advance if it’s not quite as … Read more “2784 by Don Manley. Water, water, everywhere”
Times Jumbo 1070 (28 Dec 2013)
Solving time: 1:45 A decent jumbo with some good wordplay, although I still don’t understand 39a. There were a few words I didn’t know – MARTINU, COVENANTER, OGEN & HEGEMONIC, and a couple I didn’t … Read more “Times Jumbo 1070 (28 Dec 2013)”
Times Boxing Day Jumbo 1069
I thought this was on the challenging side, with some clever but complex clues. As ever, * indicates an anagram. Across 1 BUDGETING – BUDGE + TIN + G 6 BAILIFF – AIL in BIFF … Read more “Times Boxing Day Jumbo 1069”
Saturday Times 25675 (4th Jan)
Solving time 15:33, with a couple of minutes at the end spent puzzling over 11ac and 5dn. Good to be back to normal with only a week between puzzle and blog. Quite a lot of … Read more “Saturday Times 25675 (4th Jan)”
Saturday Times 25669 (28th December)
Sorry I’m a day late with this one, not used to blogging during the week and forgot I was due to post this one yesterday. For me, easiest Saturday puzzle in quite a while, solved … Read more “Saturday Times 25669 (28th December)”
Times 25680
I solved all but seven clues in the top half within 30 minutes then ground to a halt for 20 minutes. Having eventually cracked 7dn the remaining answers fell like nine-pins. I had a lot … Read more “Times 25680”