I completed the grid in 61 minutes but this was a technical DNF as I used aids to unscramble the intersecting anagrams at 14dn and 18ac, both of which answers were unknown to me, or long-forgotten. As … Read more “Times Cryptic 27200”
Month: November 2018
Times Quick Cryptic 1226 by Izetti
This is more the Izetti of old – when simply the name above the grid would cause a shudder in even the most seasoned blogger. Yes, OK, I’m being too dramatic and it was no-one … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1226 by Izetti”
QC 1225 by Teazel
I am still not following the quickie on a daily basis, so I don’t know the current state of the debate on how difficult people are finding the puzzles at present. All I can say … Read more “QC 1225 by Teazel”
Times 27199 – Left luggage?
Time: 20 minutesMusic: Steve Hillage, Fish Rising This was an easy Monday for experienced solvers. Most of the clues use stock cryptic elements in very predictable ways, and the definitions are relatively straightforward. Those who … Read more “Times 27199 – Left luggage?”
Sunday Times 4824 by Dean Mayer
9:33. This was unusually easy for a Dean Mayer puzzle, as far as I was concerned anyway. There’s been some discussion of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (also known as the frequency illusion) here lately, and the … Read more “Sunday Times 4824 by Dean Mayer”
Mephisto 3037 – Don Manley
I was a long way away from the wordplay in many clues, and so found this one very difficult. First definitions are underlined in the clues. Somehow an incomplete blog got posted intitially, I have … Read more “Mephisto 3037 – Don Manley”
Times Cryptic No 27192 – Saturday, 10 November 2018. Off the wavelength.
On a hectic Saturday, I found this a struggle. I was slow to get the sailor, and slow to recognise the music. Pity, as there were many delightful definitions and wordplays. I hope others had … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27192 – Saturday, 10 November 2018. Off the wavelength.”
Jumbo 1350
I found this one rather more difficult than average, though some of that was no doubt down to doing it in the paper with a pencil whose hardness meant I could barely read what I … Read more “Jumbo 1350”
Quick Cryptic 1224 by Joker
On reflection I see I’ve been a bit harsh on this one, nitpicking a couple of the definitions. What I realise now is that, as a whole, it is a masterclass in the art of … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1224 by Joker”
Times 27,197: Monotreme Sports
Another straightforward puzzle by Friday standards, with nothing much to scare the horses, though I hadn’t heard of a finger stall. First one in 1ac, LOI 22ac after 17dn gave the crossing I. Clue of … Read more “Times 27,197: Monotreme Sports”