Last week I added a note that I wouldn’t be able to blog today’s because I’d be away. But here I am! Somehow, with the technical assistance of another TfTT blogger (let’s call him ‘Snowdon’) … Read more “Times 26523 – nice package”
Month: September 2016
Quick Cryptic 662 by Mara
As usual, Mara leads us a merry dance with this puzzle. Plenty of straightforward stuff, but some quirky and tricky ones as well. I was undone by 10ac (see comment below) and also struggled to … Read more “Quick Cryptic 662 by Mara”
Quick Cryptic 661 by Tracy
Too busy, really, to blog today so a) I was late and b) I ended up rushing. I therefore found this pretty hard in places leading to 13 minutes. I rather messed up 1ac on … Read more “Quick Cryptic 661 by Tracy”
Times Cryptic 26522
40 minutes with the last 10 minutes spent on 17, 18 and 29, so quite a chewy puzzle in places but with enough “gifts” to keep things moving along steadily. Unusually for a Times puzzle … Read more “Times Cryptic 26522”
Times 26521 – A crocodile in the grass – hear it?
Solving time: 53 minutes Music: Mahler, Symphony #7, Kubelik/BRSO I solved most of this in 20 minutes, but there were a couple of obscure words that had me guessing for a while. In the end, … Read more “Times 26521 – A crocodile in the grass – hear it?”
Times Quick Cryptic 660 by Flamande
After struggling to complete Pedro’s Friday QC in 18 minutes it came as something of a relief to dispose of this one in exactly half that time. For that reason I would rate it as … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 660 by Flamande”
Mephisto 2924 – Paul McKenna
Nothing to frighten the horses here, just a steady standard solve. I need help on the cryptic for 26D. Across 1 BARRE – BA(R)RE; R from (shoote)R; a capo on a guitar; 5 KNUCKLE – … Read more “Mephisto 2924 – Paul McKenna”
Sunday Times 4711 by David McLean
I found this one a real challenge, and took an age to grind my way through the intricacies and density of the clueing. Lots of very clever stuff, particularly with well disguised definitions and misdirections … Read more “Sunday Times 4711 by David McLean”
Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword Book 11 – Puzzle Index
Andy Burch sent me this last week to add to our collection of puzzle indexes from the books. This is quite an old one, with puzzles from 2008. Not a good year for us on … Read more “Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword Book 11 – Puzzle Index”
Saturday Times 26514 (10th Sep)
Solved (with interruptions) in the actual newspaper for a change in about 20 minutes. I’d never heard of a naseberry but the clue was quite generous with the wordplay (assuming you’ve heard of the English … Read more “Saturday Times 26514 (10th Sep)”