I found this to be medium difficulty at 12 minutes as I struggled at 21dn and loi, the rather wonderful, 7dn. Whatever your time, there’s lots of wit and wisdom to enjoy here. Have fun. … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1291 by Felix”
Month: February 2019
Times 27277 – Perverse and foolish once I strayed
Most unusually I snuck under 18 minutes for this one, which furriners might find a bit tricky with a fairly recondite Scotch county popping up. There’s also a fairly obscure word for genie, which might … Read more “Times 27277 – Perverse and foolish once I strayed”
Times Quick Cryptic 1290 by Mara
I was pleased to finish just inside my target 10 minutes today having found last week’s batch of puzzles a little more difficult than usual. I hesitate to say there’s nothing too tricky here but … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1290 by Mara”
Mephisto 3050 Dah, Dit Dit, Dah Dah, Moorey
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. 11A … Read more “Mephisto 3050 Dah, Dit Dit, Dah Dah, Moorey”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4837, 10 February 2019, by David McLean — No sweat!
I don’t remember feeling this one was particularly hard, but I was unstressed and unpressed for time, so no momentary difficulty felt frustrating. There were plenty of chewy bits to savor, including one word that … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4837, 10 February 2019, by David McLean — No sweat!”
Times Cryptic No 27270 – Saturday, 09 February 2019. Good for the digestion.
This seemed fairly straightforward for a Saturday. I finished comfortably over lunch. There was a good helping of clever wordplay, and lots of gravy. I liked 12, 17 and 27ac, and 16, 19 and 24 … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27270 – Saturday, 09 February 2019. Good for the digestion.”
Jumbo 1365
An even briefer blog than usual, I’m afraid, as my computer is on the blink and I’m hoping to get this published before it completely packs in. This one was of average difficulty, with a … Read more “Jumbo 1365”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1289 by Tracy
What a neat and entertaining QC from Tracy today! I enjoyed it a lot. Read and admire the concise and smooth surfaces. Plenty of practice of the A + B clue type but, unusually, only … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1289 by Tracy”
Times 27,275: “Transuranic Heavy Elements May Not Be Used Where There Is Life”
A complex puzzle very worthy of its Friday slot, I thought: the top half in particular held me up for a long time, until I finally clocked the hard double definition at 1ac and managed … Read more “Times 27,275: “Transuranic Heavy Elements May Not Be Used Where There Is Life””
Times Quick Cryptic No 1288 by Izetti
I’d put this towards the easier end of things, certainly for an Izetti puzzle. The grid was quite empty after a first read through of the acrosses, but the downs were more forgiving and it … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1288 by Izetti”