Found this one particularly tricky, even by Dean’s standards – but very rewarding as I slowly worked my way through it. Solved in bits and pieces in sub-optimal circumstances – flying to San Francisco sitting … Read more “Sunday Times 4689 by Dean Mayer”
Month: April 2016
Saturday Times 26382 (9th April)
Solving time 11:25 online, which looks like a really good time going through the stats and seeing who took longer (after the usual six pages of neutrinos)! There was some discussion on whether 23D had … Read more “Saturday Times 26382 (9th April)”
Jumbo 1200
A couple of unknown words, a couple of unexpected hyphens, and a questionable definition in an enjoyable puzzle without much in the way of 2Ds. Solving time: 21m26 * = anagram, dd = double definition, … Read more “Jumbo 1200”
Times 26,387: A Veritable Smorgasbord
I’m not sure if it’s just because I’ve been doing the 5:2 “intermittent fasting” diet with my wife for the last couple of weeks (don’t know why really, I’m already quite thin, but then I … Read more “Times 26,387: A Veritable Smorgasbord”
Quick Cryptic 549 by Izetti
Something of a French flavour this week, with 1a (knew the word, but not the spelling until I got some checkers), 6d and even 1d (my LOI). Clever anagrams at 8d and particularly 17a, I … Read more “Quick Cryptic 549 by Izetti”
TLS 1118 by Myrtilus : A birthday treat
Just as well I didn’t have to blog this on the day, what with it being Good Friday, a busy day in my calendar what with the debut performance of my script for the annual … Read more “TLS 1118 by Myrtilus : A birthday treat”
Quick Cryptic 548 by Hawthorne
This is only Hawthorn’s third outing in the Quick Cryptics, the other two appearing in January and March this year, and I found it a joy to do. I had about 8 little ticks beside … Read more “Quick Cryptic 548 by Hawthorne”
26386 Ecdysiasts in the 18th Century. Oiled chests, shapely legs, but no drawers.
Feeling a bit laboured, this one, with two that I couldn’t see until all the checkers were in, and even then it took a time, pushing me to 23.48. The short ones tuned out to … Read more “26386 Ecdysiasts in the 18th Century. Oiled chests, shapely legs, but no drawers.”
Times 26385, SOS: ANTE DRY … DOSH required
Filling in for Pip today, as promised. Very little to trouble the stopwatch this morning, for which I’m thankful after yesterday’s struggle. So a bit under the 20m. And there’s no real stand-outs here as … Read more “Times 26385, SOS: ANTE DRY … DOSH required”
Quick Cryptic Number 547 by Tracy
I found this a bit of a work-out, slowing down with half of the clues yet to solve. One or two tricky parsings that required more than one operation to be performed on a part … Read more “Quick Cryptic Number 547 by Tracy”