Solving time: 10 minutes. Having now written my blog I’m not sure why I needed all of my target time to solve this as in retrospect it seems pretty straightforward for experienced solvers. Possibly some … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1280 by Tracy”
Month: February 2019
Mephisto 3048 Paul McKenna – Saucy Postcard 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. 12A … Read more “Mephisto 3048 Paul McKenna – Saucy Postcard Edition”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4835, 13 January 2019, by Jeff Pearce — Huckleberry friend
Fun one, not as hard as I feared, once I finally got started. I’m sure 15 was extremely easy if you happened to know what “Honister” refers to; I didn’t, but got it (eventually) anyway. … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4835, 13 January 2019, by Jeff Pearce — Huckleberry friend”
Times Cryptic No 27258 – Saturday, 26 January 2019. A sunburnt country.
As I wrote this a week ago on Australia Day, the sunburnt country continued to set high temperature records. Lucky today’s puzzle wasn’t a scorcher too. I finished all but 25ac in regular time, but … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27258 – Saturday, 26 January 2019. A sunburnt country.”
Jumbo 1363
Very straightforward this one, with nothing to complain about from my point of view. I would probably pick 17A as my favourite clue. Across 1 AWFUL – (l)AWFUL = sanctioned 4 EXCITEMENT – EXIT = … Read more “Jumbo 1363”
Monthly Club Special No 20,220: Right on the Left Staircase
An uncommonly gentle MCS in parts, with a run of clues towards the end that made me think that I was doing a “straight” puzzle, and quite a few others that had generous pointers in … Read more “Monthly Club Special No 20,220: Right on the Left Staircase”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1279 by Breadman
Oh my goodness. February already! Where did January go? I’m not sure, in retrospect, why I was more than a minute slower than average on this nice quickie from Breadman today. There is nothing too … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1279 by Breadman”
Times 27,263: Hypocritical Hypothetical
A very solid and entertaining puzzle I thought, with a heightened quality of vocabulary and reference further enlivened by some elegant cryptic phrasings. We also really liked the cavalcade of excellent animals, deers, horses, moles, … Read more “Times 27,263: Hypocritical Hypothetical”