I would have been close to bang on target had it not been for 1d, which I stared at for three minutes before giving up. I must confess to a bit of a mental block … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1238 by Orpheus”
Month: December 2018
Times Cryptic No 27214 Thursday, 6 December 2018 Anyone fancy a hot toddley?
A straightforward enough solve which I marred with a precipitate entry to 12 down, so my time of 15.38 is moot. I had to guess the blouse at 25, though the wordplay was more than … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27214 Thursday, 6 December 2018 Anyone fancy a hot toddley?”
Times 27213 – TCC Heat 2: one of the three.
I see 84 contestants attempted this and 33 got it correct. So, not a piece of cake. I got it right eventually, but not under exam room presssure.I found this a game of two halves. … Read more “Times 27213 – TCC Heat 2: one of the three.”
Quick Cryptic 1237 by Mara
All quite straightforward, and non less enjoyable for it. My only biff was 21dn, which seemed a reasonable word, and was clued generously. I had made a note to revisit the (on first thought, questionable) … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1237 by Mara”
Times Cryptic 27212
I found this very hard and after nearly an hour had completed only about a third of it so I took a short break. On returning I fared much better and knocked off most of … Read more “Times Cryptic 27212”
Times Quick Cryptic 1236 by Hurley
I really enjoyed today’s puzzle – lots of crinkly parsings and good surfaces but still quick by 15×15 standards. I particularly liked the simple yet chewy 22dn but that was pipped to COD by 15dn.LOI … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1236 by Hurley”
QC 1235 by Breadman
Still not fully back to doing quickies on a daily basis although I have done a few since my last blog. Perhaps this contributed to my completing this in about 9 minutes, as it ‘felt’ … Read more “QC 1235 by Breadman”
Times 27211 – Food for thought
Time: 32 minutesMusic: Dave Brubeck, Time Further Out This was a trickier puzzle than you might expect for a Monday, and if you are missing a few pieces of obscure knowledge you might easily get … Read more “Times 27211 – Food for thought”
Monthly Club Special 20,218: Rogan’s Profanisaurus
Cripes, there were some rude looking words in this month’s grid, such that I was afraid to look a few of them up for fear of what I might find. The usual tough and satisfying … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,218: Rogan’s Profanisaurus”
Mephisto 3039 – Paul McKenna
Odd-numbered Mephisto time! The grid has 90-degree symmetry with four clues running all the way across the 12×12 grid to stop it from separating into four mini-puzzles. All good fin. I however made a real … Read more “Mephisto 3039 – Paul McKenna”