Well, what a fine test, even if it required some obscure general knowledge or inspired guesswork if that knowledge was lacking; in my case, it was, at 12a. I knocked out the left hand side … Read more “Times 27231 – TCC Final, puzzle 1. Knocked out on Boxing Day.”
Month: December 2018
Times Quick Cryptic No 1252 by Tracy
Introduction Some challenging wordplay here! Finished just under 20 minutes. Distracted by children, but also legitimately stuck on the lower left-hand corner of the grid. I didn’t take full notes on my solve, but I’ll … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1252 by Tracy”
Bonus Christmas puzzle
For a number of years fellow TfTTer astonvilla1 has compiled a politically-themed crossword for the website/blog politicalbetting.com. He suggested to me that others here might enjoy it, and having test-solved the puzzle for him I … Read more “Bonus Christmas puzzle”
Times Cryptic 27230
Not too demanding a puzzle today, which is perhaps just as well. Ho Ho Ho! and a Merry Christmas to one and all! As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are … Read more “Times Cryptic 27230”
Times Quick Cryptic 1251 by Joker
HO, HO, HOpe you all have a good day/week/year. During the last year it’s been a pleasure to see the progression of lurkers to newbies to old hands, increasing completions and shortening times. I’ve also … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1251 by Joker”
Times 27229 – Felicem nativitatem!
What a pleasant way to ease into Christmas week! We have Santa thinly(?) disguised as the villainous Geoffrey Howe, a bit of Welsh crumpet, who would surely have indulged in a spot of extravehicular activity … Read more “Times 27229 – Felicem nativitatem!”
Times Quick Cryptic 1250 by Teazel
13 minutes with the last 3 spent on 12ac. Mostly straightforward, but as usual there are some clues that may present problems for less experieced solvers or those lacking particular items of GK. Merry Christmas … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1250 by Teazel”
Mephisto 3042 by Paul McKenna – Multilingual Edition
Unless you’re very experienced you are unlikely to solve a Mephisto without using Chambers. The idea is that you use the precise wordplay to derive an answer that you then verify in the dictionary. 2D … Read more “Mephisto 3042 by Paul McKenna – Multilingual Edition”
Sunday Times Cryptic No. 4829, by Jeff Pearce — Fag ged about it
I suddenly remembered this morning that I had to do this by tonight, and I’ve lost my copy so had to work it again, and I had no notes. But this wasn’t a hard one. … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No. 4829, by Jeff Pearce — Fag ged about it”
Times Cryptic No 27222 – Saturday, 15 December 2018. A Dickens of a time.
Those who like obscurities may have been disappointed – nothing here was new even to me (although the male ferret was lost in the distant reaches of memory). On the other hand, there were lots … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27222 – Saturday, 15 December 2018. A Dickens of a time.”