I completed all but 6 answers within 27 minutes, but needed as long again to finish off the remainder, all of them originating in the NE corner. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions … Read more “Times Cryptic 27338”
Month: April 2019
Times Quick Cryptic 1341 by Grumpy
Well, what a pleasure. This took some time (15 mins) but I was never grumpy as I enjoyed every moment relishing the surfaces. To anyone coming recently to cryptics from concise crosswords – look for … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1341 by Grumpy”
Times 27337 – I guess why that’s why they call it the blues
This is an eminently Mondayish sort of puzzle that will terrorise no horses. Indeed, even donkeys and mules – as it were – are likely to find that fear is not the primary emotion with … Read more “Times 27337 – I guess why that’s why they call it the blues”
Times Quick Cryptic 1340 by Breadman
7 minutes and as my solving time suggests I found this one very easy apart from one parsing which I explain in more detail in the blog. Breadman has set us only 15 puzzles since … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1340 by Breadman”
Mephisto 3060 Paul McKenna
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. 3D … Read more “Mephisto 3060 Paul McKenna”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4847, April 21 2019, by David McLean — Seeing double
Greetings from the heart of the Cévennes region of France. I wrote most of this before my trip began, fortunately. It’s rather late here and I just realized that it’s already dimanche. And I have … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4847, April 21 2019, by David McLean — Seeing double”
Times Cryptic No 27330 – Saturday, 20 April. Don’t try this at home.
For some reason, I was never comfortable working on this crossword. (Sorry, setter. It wasn’t you, it was me, I’m sure.) On the first pass, I only got two answers, and for most clues I … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27330 – Saturday, 20 April. Don’t try this at home.”
Jumbo 1375
I didn’t find this one particularly difficult though I did spend a while trying to parse my LOI 52A, which seemed to have come from a different puzzle entirely. I enjoyed some of the definitions, … Read more “Jumbo 1375”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1339 by Teazel
Our Friday entertainment today comes from Teazel. And a very neat puzzle it is too. Lots of very straightforward clues to give the less-experienced a good foothold, I think, and a good variety of clue … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1339 by Teazel”
Times 27,335: You Gotta Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Solve A Clue Or Two
I didn’t find this particularly difficult, though my time wasn’t blazing-Monday-fast either; but I’d certainly rate it on the gentle side, with all the definitions being entirely straightforward and most of the wordplay involving quite … Read more “Times 27,335: You Gotta Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Solve A Clue Or Two”