Solving time: 17:32 This is just about my worst time ever on a Quickie. Are they getting harder, or was I completely off the wavelength? I started out finishing between 6 and 10 minutes, but … Read more “Quick Cryptic 820 by Hawthorn”
Month: April 2017
Sunday Times 4743 by Dean Mayer
I found this to be a particularly tough one from Dean, with several of the answers (or key parts of the wordplay) being unknown to me. In most cases I was able to get around … Read more “Sunday Times 4743 by Dean Mayer”
Easter Monday Bank Holiday Jumbo Cryptic 1260
I found this one a bit harder than usual, spending an age in the NW quadrant where 1A just wouldn’t come to me at all, as I assumed for a long time that delicate was … Read more “Easter Monday Bank Holiday Jumbo Cryptic 1260”
Times Saturday 26706 – April 22, 2017. Simply elegant.
Lots of delightful cluing this week. Great breadth of answers, geographic, culinary, classical, arts and more. Some clever single and double nested answers, and some nice misdirection. Even the dreaded fauna item was something familiar … Read more “Times Saturday 26706 – April 22, 2017. Simply elegant.”
Times Jumbo 1259
I got 14ac and 57ac early on when solving this and thought there might be a wine theme, but – unless you also count 47dn – it looks as though it was just coincidence. 38dn … Read more “Times Jumbo 1259”
Quick Cryptic 819 by Des
I think this was the easiest one of the week but, as usual, your mileage may vary. My time was 5:05 and to be honest, I can’t find much to comment on. There’s the usual … Read more “Quick Cryptic 819 by Des”
Times 26711 – was this tough or was I below par?
Just back from a tiring and somewhat socially excessive golf trip, in unseasonably cold and wet Catalonia, I found this quite tough in places; it took me the bones of 45 minutes to get through … Read more “Times 26711 – was this tough or was I below par?”
TLS Crossword 1170 by Myrtilus – April 7, 2017. Knock knock. Who’s there?
A captivating piece of whimsy with the now classic Myrtilus touch. I printed this to look at in the car driving up to the country for the first time this season while I was sitting … Read more “TLS Crossword 1170 by Myrtilus – April 7, 2017. Knock knock. Who’s there?”
Times 26703 – 1st Championship Qualifier (Wednesday 19 April)
I managed this on paper in 16 minutes, with one Russian poet half-guessed as the more likely arrangement of the anagram letters; the rest was straightforward although required the usual crossword knowledge of CRS and … Read more “Times 26703 – 1st Championship Qualifier (Wednesday 19 April)”
Times Quick Cryptic No 818 by Tracy
A shade harder than average, I’d say, taking me 15 minutes (with one wrong). A couple of bits of obscurity, for me anyway, with 17d and 22ac going in with a shrug: the first I’ve … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 818 by Tracy”