Solving Time: Perhaps 20 minutes or so on the day, not entirely sure now. Another reasonably gentle offering from the recent Championships but golly, it does have some elegant clueing, an absolute pleasure to blog. … Read more “Times Crossword 25,954 – 2014 Championships, Second Preliminary, Puzzle 1”
Month: November 2014
Times Cryptic 25953
After yesterday’s ordeal my heart sank when I printed the grid and realised it contains no 3- or 4-letter words, as these are usually my way into any puzzle if available. However the setter has … Read more “Times Cryptic 25953”
Quick Cryptic No 187 by Tracy
Went through this enjoyable offering with two freestyle skiers who were unused to cryptics. To dispel any misplaced stereotypes, they were really good! Lots of excellent clues of different types to keep you on your … Read more “Quick Cryptic No 187 by Tracy”
Quick Cryptic 186 by Orpheus
The puzzle can be found here: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20141124/357/ Thanks again to william_j_s for standing in for me 2 weeks ago while I was away. I found this puzzle rather trickier than average, though I suspect that … Read more “Quick Cryptic 186 by Orpheus”
Times 25952 – The Bones of All Setters
Solving time: 55 minutes Music: Mozart, Piano Sonatas, Mitsuko Uchida Here is a puzzle that is a bit more difficult than the usual Monday offering. I had it nearly complete after 30 minutes, but the … Read more “Times 25952 – The Bones of All Setters”
Sunday Times 4616 (16 Nov 2014) by Jeff Pearce
Solving time: Just over the hour I just crept over the hour with RAISE/STEINS being the last pair in. I’m not sure why it took me so long as, looking back at it now, a … Read more “Sunday Times 4616 (16 Nov 2014) by Jeff Pearce”
Mephisto 2829 – Don Manley
My shiny new copy of Don Manley’s Crossword Manual arrived last week, meaning I now own books by two of the Mephisto setters (I have a sneaking suspicion that Paul McKenna isn’t in any immediate … Read more “Mephisto 2829 – Don Manley”
Saturday Times 25945 (15th Nov)
Good puzzle, no solving time noted as I was just looking at it in bits and pieces last week while working on the computer. A couple of unknowns for me (BRIDGE ROLL, the required meaning … Read more “Saturday Times 25945 (15th Nov)”
Jumbo 1118
Nothing particularly to note about this one. There are a couple of definitions that might be a bit loose, but not enough to prevent solving. No solving time noted Across 1 HAWFINCH – HALF INCH … Read more “Jumbo 1118”
Times 25,950: Nightbusman’s Holiday
With minimal preamble once again due to the lateness in the day. I got home very very late last night thanks to a work do, so with both a 2 year old and a mild … Read more “Times 25,950: Nightbusman’s Holiday”