Well, nothing easy about this one, although it is all solvable. Certainly there was no biffing for me – each clue required work to unravel. I only got two answers on my first pass, and … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27324 – Saturday, 13 April 2019. Heads down, tails up.”
Month: April 2019
Times Jumbo 1374: Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas?
A well above average Jumbo, I felt, with the usual preponderance of straight-down-the-line clues pleasingly peppered on this occasion with a nutritious selection of &lits, reverse cryptics and just plain quirky meta-offerings. Many things in … Read more “Times Jumbo 1374: Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas?”
Quick Cryptic 1334 by Orpheus
I enjoyed this, and I don’t think it’s too taxing. A couple of engineered anagrams, a tad of slightly obscure vocab, and some pleasingly corny homophones. I got repeatedly interrupted so I don’t know how … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1334 by Orpheus”
Times 27,329: Confidence Is A Preference For The Habitual Solveur
I didn’t find this puzzle particularly hard, but I did enjoy it, with its assured control of cryptic devices and a bit of wickedness to some of its choices: I particularly liked the almost invisible … Read more “Times 27,329: Confidence Is A Preference For The Habitual Solveur”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1333 by Hurley
Another sub-10-minuter for me at exactly 8 minutes, so easy on the Rotterometer. There is little here to cause any problems to experienced solvers, with a minimum of gentle general knowledge required and the usual … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1333 by Hurley”
Times 27328 – does the setter prefer ODIs or smacky-smacky?
Solving time: 14:36 – a little slower than usual, and today it was some of the anagrams that held me up the longest. I’m the fourth of the seven times in so far, and the … Read more “Times 27328 – does the setter prefer ODIs or smacky-smacky?”
Times 27327 – at least I had time to read all about dear old Alfred.
I like a struggle on a Wednesday; I enjoy the frisson of solving a tough test under pressure and understanding every clue so as to write a convincing account. This week I was disappointed. This … Read more “Times 27327 – at least I had time to read all about dear old Alfred.”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1332 by Tracy
Introduction I solved this puzzle in just under 10 minutes, and enjoyed every second of it thoroughly! If you’re looking to improve your solving skills, this puzzle is chock full of chestnuts and will undoubtedly … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1332 by Tracy”
Times Cryptic 27326
Solving time: 55 minutes. All but one answer in the NW went in very easily but I struggled through most of the remainder of the puzzle. There were several unknowns either in answers or wordplay and … Read more “Times Cryptic 27326”
Times Quick Cryptic 1331 by Oink
A quick QC – coming in at just under 8 minutes. Our setter may be making a commentary on current politics at 8, 10 and 11ac but this doesn’t preclude a porcine reference or two. … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1331 by Oink”