After the puzzle from 1963 which appeared while TCC Qualifier No. 1 was published, I wasn’t too dismayed to see this one dated 1970 rather than some impenetrable pre-war offering. It’s a bit of a … Read more “Times 220170 – from 1970, in lieu of TCC Qualifier No. 2 today”
Month: May 2016
Quick Cryptic 572 by Grumpy
An enjoyable offering from Grumpy which I thought was just about right for a QC – nothing obscure, a few splashes of wit and it kept you on your toes throughout. As usual, definitions underlined: … Read more “Quick Cryptic 572 by Grumpy”
Quick Cryptic 571 by Tracy
A mix of easy and less than easy clues here led to an enjoyable 13 minute solve – quite some time of which was spent in the NW. It contains some long definitions which can … Read more “Quick Cryptic 571 by Tracy”
Times Cryptic 26414
I needed a minute or two over an hour for this but I’m not sure why as there are no obscure words or references. As mentioned in my Quickie blog yesterday, I am indebted to … Read more “Times Cryptic 26414”
Times 26413 – A Nice Mosaic
What an enjoyable puzzle with which to start the working week! Not particularly difficult, but a satisfying challenge, in the main, with a pleasing mix of clue types and subject matter. It will be interesting … Read more “Times 26413 – A Nice Mosaic”
Times Quick Cryptic 570
This one took me exactly 10 minutes. Looking back at my solving times it seems I had a problem with Flamande’s puzzles in the early days of the Quickie in 2014 when they took me … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 570”
Jumbo 1205 (Bank Holiday 2nd May 2016)
I found this puzzle in general of about average difficulty, but the last few answers were sufficiently tricky as to drag my solving time into the “harder than average” category. Some interesting constructions and pleasing … Read more “Jumbo 1205 (Bank Holiday 2nd May 2016)”
Mephisto 2906 – Paul McKenna the sighing setter
Relatively straightforward puzzle with a little French, Hindi and Latin thrown in to liven the mix. Across 1 SETTER – SETT(l)ER; push along=leave; definition is “a stream of cattle” see SETTER-2 in C; 6 SIGHED … Read more “Mephisto 2906 – Paul McKenna the sighing setter”
Sunday Times 4693 by David McLean
An enjoyable mix of some tricky stuff tempered with a few gimmes – and with an overall style I’d describe (in a very positive way, I should stress) as “quirky”. From an ST enthusiast’s perspective, … Read more “Sunday Times 4693 by David McLean”
TLS Crossword 1122 by Praxiteles (April 22, 2016): Sooner Or Bardolater
What a privilege to be allowed to blog this special 400th-anniversary-of-the-great-man’s-passing Shakespeare puzzle; a privilege which I have sorely abused by posting it a couple of days late. All I can say in my defence … Read more “TLS Crossword 1122 by Praxiteles (April 22, 2016): Sooner Or Bardolater”