This seemed very straightforward for a Friday – though perhaps non-classicists might have paused marginally longer over 5dn and 16dn, I don’t know. Straightforward or not, it still took me over the 10 minutes mark, … Read more “Times 26,459: Hong Kong Phooey”
Month: July 2016
Quick Crossword 609 by Pedro
Lots to enjoy in this one. I liked the repeated openings of 1a and 7a, and the use of setter’s name in 13d. LOI and COD, 8d, great definition, and could so easily, and incorrectly, … Read more “Quick Crossword 609 by Pedro”
TLS Crossword 1130 by Myrtilus – June 17, 2016
Another fine offering from Myrtilus, with a pretty consistent theme of travelling or just being on holiday. It took me 38.26, and while there is one reference I can’t pin down, there was nothing to … Read more “TLS Crossword 1130 by Myrtilus – June 17, 2016”
Times Quick Cryptic No 608 by Hawthorn
A pleasant solve this, towards the easier end – I was 15 mins yesterday, and about half that time today. A little bit 8ac, even, if you’ve been doing cryptics for a while, as a … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 608 by Hawthorn”
Times Cryptic 26458 – July 7, 2016 Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Not too tricky, this one, though I slowed down after the port side was completed for no terribly obvious reason. There is one weird and unlikely-looking word, but the wordplay is pretty well unambiguous, so … Read more “Times Cryptic 26458 – July 7, 2016 Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.”
Times 26457 – up my street
Mostly straightforward today, a somewhat classical, Greek, light and dark blue flavour to it with one or two less well known words to slow you down or trust the wordplay; it took me a steady … Read more “Times 26457 – up my street”
Quick Cryptic Number 607 by Izetti
Many of these words were unfamiliar to me, but I only realised just how many when writing the blog; a testament to the fairness of the clueing. I’m definitely more of a fan of double … Read more “Quick Cryptic Number 607 by Izetti”
Quick Cryptic 606 by Orpheus
A crossword of two halves – the right hand side being considerably swifter than the left. 13 minutes in total which puts this in my ‘medium difficulty’ bracket. Being from Norfolk, the resort wasn’t a … Read more “Quick Cryptic 606 by Orpheus”
Times Cryptic 26456
I needed 52 minutes for this one. I started very well, knocking off the clues in turn but then ground to a halt and stayed in the doldrums for ages, possibly even nodding off briefly. … Read more “Times Cryptic 26456”
Times 26455 – Off with the hillbillies!
It may be the Fourth of July, but I detected a distinctly Australian flavour to this puzzle, what with 13 down, 16 across and 28 across. Be all that as it may, I failed miserably … Read more “Times 26455 – Off with the hillbillies!”