The return to my original TftT userpic marks the 10th anniversary this week of my first blog which hardly seems possible as I didn’t start with much confidence and wasn’t sure I’d manage to last through … Read more “Times Cryptic 26888”
Month: November 2017
Times Quick Cryptic 966 by Tracy
I didn’t find this at all easy and had to chip away around the grid. 10 and loi 11ac then formed the final hurdles which took some time to clear. That I made heavy weather … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 966 by Tracy”
Times 26887 – Pictures of Matchstick Men
Time: 42 minutesMusic: Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherezade, Kondrashin/LSO At first I thought this was going to be another impossible Monday, but once I started following the cryptics I began to make a little progress and get the … Read more “Times 26887 – Pictures of Matchstick Men”
Quick Cryptic 965 by Teazel
An enjoyable puzzle from Teazel today, with some pleasingly succinct clues that combine smooth surfaces with concise wordplay (e.g. 11A and 15A). Apologies for the even briefer than usual blog but circumstances have conspired against … Read more “Quick Cryptic 965 by Teazel”
Sunday Times 4772 by Jeff Pearce
10:15. I always used to find Jeff Pearce’s puzzles the easiest of the Sunday cryptic setters, but of late he seems to have upped his game and produced some very fine and difficult puzzles. This … Read more “Sunday Times 4772 by Jeff Pearce”
Times Cryptic No 26880 – Saturday, 11 November 2017. Nice clues if you can get them.
This was my idea of a perfect crossword! I am a big fan of puzzles that use familiar words in unfamiliar ways, rather than obscurities from foreign places and times, and/or plant and animal names. … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26880 – Saturday, 11 November 2017. Nice clues if you can get them.”
Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1292 – Why did the Polish elephant cross the slip road?
I found this mostly quite straight-forward, but one or two of the clues are a bit tricky… and one mystifies me if there isn’t something missing. Perhaps one of you can explain. [Edit: Thanks to … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1292 – Why did the Polish elephant cross the slip road?”
Times 26,885: Popular Beat Combo in Purpler Blog Combat
I’m going to play the sleep deprivation “get out of jail free” card that I didn’t play yesterday on this one to explain my unprepossessing time on a puzzle that should have been right up … Read more “Times 26,885: Popular Beat Combo in Purpler Blog Combat”
Quick Cryptic 964 by Wurm
Sorry this is a bit late. I managed to fat finger my nearly-completed blog into oblivion, and had to do it all again. Interesting puzzle today, providing a few examples of the double definition and … Read more “Quick Cryptic 964 by Wurm”
Times 26884 – a constant battle between technology and sleep deprivation
Solving time : 15:14, but it should have been a lot faster – when I got home from rehearsal my computer decided it needed to update and reboot, and that means I have sat here … Read more “Times 26884 – a constant battle between technology and sleep deprivation”