I needed 36 minutes for this one, which is not bad for me these days having slowed down a bit in recent weeks. Many of the clues are really easy, some are biffable and a … Read more “Times 26732”
Month: May 2017
Times 26731 – The Lonely Sea and the Sky
A pretty standard Mondayesque offering, with a bit for everyone, including a mathsey bit which I’ve heard of but would be hard pushed to explain. But that’s pretty much me and maths in a nutshell. … Read more “Times 26731 – The Lonely Sea and the Sky”
Quick Cryptic 835 by Hurley
An interesting offering from Hurley today, with half-a-dozen proper nouns spicing up the grid. No words likely to be beyond most solvers’ ken, though the fame of 3A might not have carried beyond the Channel … Read more “Quick Cryptic 835 by Hurley”
Mephisto 2959 – Don Manley
I remember not being held up too long by this one, which was a relief as I was still trying to polish off the previous week’s Azed (clearly I did not make the deadline on … Read more “Mephisto 2959 – Don Manley”
Sunday Times 4746 by Dean Mayer
30:01. I struggled mightily with this, feeling miles off the wavelength all the way through. I did enjoy it though, in a masochistic kind of way. Going through it to write up the blog, as … Read more “Sunday Times 4746 by Dean Mayer”
Times Saturday 26724 – May 13, 2017. A delight of a crossword!
This was full of wonderful clues. Many of them seem simple as I write the blog, but felt rewarding to solve. 28ac was my LOI, and took a little time to see the wordplay even … Read more “Times Saturday 26724 – May 13, 2017. A delight of a crossword!”
Times Jumbo 1264
I didn’t find this especially difficult, but did carelessly get 2dn wrong initially – note to self: next time check that the anagram contains sufficient Os! As always, * indicates an anagram. Across 1 ANAEROBIC … Read more “Times Jumbo 1264”
Quick Cryptic 834 by Izetti
I commented yesterday that my solving speeds had improved as the week went on, but predictably that trend was reversed today, coming in at 10:36. I make no comment though on the relative difficulty of … Read more “Quick Cryptic 834 by Izetti”
Times 26,729: Kill All Angels
Enjoyably tough Friday fare that hasn’t resulted in any sub-10-minute times on the leaderboard so far (11 here). There’s something about the completed grid that makes me very happy here: it’s not a classic pangram … Read more “Times 26,729: Kill All Angels”
TLS Crossword 1173 by Praxiteles – April 28, 2017. Who Was That Masked Man?
An enjoyable musical puzzle which I found difficult. I had all but 2 clues just about accounted for under the hour over a couple of sessions, mostly sans Google. There’s still two I’m scratching my … Read more “TLS Crossword 1173 by Praxiteles – April 28, 2017. Who Was That Masked Man?”