Having managed to render my sleep schedule completely topsy-turvy this week I found myself doing this puzzle not long after 4am, which might in other circumstances occasion a rather grouchy blog, but fortunately today’s is … Read more “Times 26,933: A Stern Talking To”
Month: January 2018
Times 26932 – I like the way the Americans say 20 down
Solving time: 8:21. At the moment this has me second of about 18 on the list, so I might have gotten lucky with a jump on some of the wordplay here. Now let’s talk wordplay … Read more “Times 26932 – I like the way the Americans say 20 down”
Quick Cryptic No 1003 by Teazel or Hurley, depending where one looks
Happy New Year all! After two weeks off over the holidays, which I survived – just, this is my first blog of 2018. Before I begin, can I add my appreciation to that of others … Read more “Quick Cryptic No 1003 by Teazel or Hurley, depending where one looks”
Times 26931 – Back to the past?
Normal service is resumed on Wednesdays again, now we have dealt with all nine TCC puzzles, six of which each of our “UK elite” had already had in front of them, if not completed.This to … Read more “Times 26931 – Back to the past?”
Quick Cryptic 1002 by Teazel
An enjoyable puzzle from Teazel with a nice ‘cryptic’ feel to it, which I would rate around a mid-level degree of difficulty. Nothing particularly obscure I thought, although – as ever – one man’s “everyday … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1002 by Teazel”
Times Cryptic 26930
A fairly straightforward puzzle today which delayed me only 3 minutes over my target half-an-hour. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators … Read more “Times Cryptic 26930”
Times Quick Cryptic 1001 by Orpheus
Whilst solving, I noticed only that it was medium difficulty and that there were a lot of female names. It turns out that only three such names are present and also that there are some … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1001 by Orpheus”
Times 26929 – If the animal doesn’t get you, the author will
A fine specimen of the Monday puzzle, I thought, fitting to celebrate my 150th blog, with not one but two 8-letter stings in the tail. Now, I must contend that while 20 across was eminently … Read more “Times 26929 – If the animal doesn’t get you, the author will”
Times Quick Cryptic 1000 by Des
I completed this in 11 minutes missing my target by 1 minute, but who cares when it’s enjoyment that matters far more than solving speeds? As mentioned here last Friday, although today’s puzzle number is 1000 … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1000 by Des”
Mephisto 2992 – by Don Manley
A puzzle on the easy side for a gentle New Year’s Eve solveIn the blog, the definition in the clue is underlined and followed by the answer; the parsing; any comments ACROSS 4 Instrument of … Read more “Mephisto 2992 – by Don Manley”