This one took me 50 minutes parsing everything as I went as I try to do when I’m on blogging duty. I was delayed in a few places considering definitions that didn’t immediately ring true … Read more “Times Cryptic 26366”
Month: March 2016
Times 26365 – A whiff of garlic and the waft of Gitanes
Something of an international flavor to this one – a slightly tougher Monday than usual. Perhaps my prayers to the gods of London Bridge Street have more clout now that I am a centurion? But … Read more “Times 26365 – A whiff of garlic and the waft of Gitanes”
Quick Cryptic 530 by Orpheus
I was doing very nicely with this one and on course to finish within my 10 minute target, but after 9 minutes I came to a grinding halt with 15dn unsolved and I stared at … Read more “Quick Cryptic 530 by Orpheus”
Mephisto 2898 by Don Manley – Lindi St Clair’s Landlord Remembered
Another on of those grids that seem to produce four mini-puzzles. Nothing to over frighten the horses here, pretty standard fare One small problem at 20A where the word “one” appears to be missing from … Read more “Mephisto 2898 by Don Manley – Lindi St Clair’s Landlord Remembered”
Sunday Times 4685 by Jeff Pearce
Found this one quite chewy with some tricky definitions (e.g. 7a) and (at least to me) unusual clueing devices (e.g. 17a). 25a caused some comment on the club Forum in terms of (maybe) a singular … Read more “Sunday Times 4685 by Jeff Pearce”
Saturday Times 26358 (12th March)
9:39 for this one, solved online for a change (which always seems to knock at least 5 minutes off my solving time). Unfortunately I’ve run out of time to complete my blog so will have … Read more “Saturday Times 26358 (12th March)”
Jumbo 1195
A rare (for me) sub-10m solve for this one, suggesting it was at the easy end of the difficulty spectrum, though no less enjoyable for that. My unknowns (e.g. the Dickensian heroine in 26A) all … Read more “Jumbo 1195”
Times 26,363: Beware Greeks Bearing Fire
Your Honour, the case for the prosecution has certainly been an impassioned one. If we were to believe everything they tell us, my client M. Verlaine would be an unprincipled, destructive monster who should not … Read more “Times 26,363: Beware Greeks Bearing Fire”
Quick Cryptic 529 by Oran
I found this one much the hardest since I’ve been blogging, though looking back, I’m not sure why! Probably having ‘towards’ instead of ‘inwards’, wasn’t a good start…A puzzle also notable for including three first … Read more “Quick Cryptic 529 by Oran”
26362 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels….
A tough one, this, which took me past the 30 minute mark by 2.22, but hey, at least I was error free. At the time of writing, everyone else on a small sample has a … Read more “26362 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels….”