A rare excursion under 20 minutes for me, so easy, but perhaps not as easy as I made it, since it had very little sciency stuff. No, looking at it again, I’d say this was … Read more “Times 27325 – Settlements Abounding”
Month: April 2019
Times Quick Cryptic 1330 by Mara
On reflection this seems pretty straightforward but for some reason I needed 12 minutes (2 over my target 10) to unravel it all. If anything requires further explanation, please ask. As usual definitions are underlined … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1330 by Mara”
Mephisto 3058 by Don Manley
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. 1A … Read more “Mephisto 3058 by Don Manley”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4845, 7 April 2019, by Robert Price — Pour me another one!
Well, that went down easily, a very smooth blend with some vivid, if uncomplex, notes, which left me with a warm feeling inside. I am just back from the fantastic Guggenheim show of the heretofore-unsung … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4845, 7 April 2019, by Robert Price — Pour me another one!”
Times Cryptic No 27318 – Saturday, 06 April. What’s a Grecian Urn?
All done on the morning of, so not outrageously hard. Still, harder than the week before. Fortunately, I had the luxury of doing it on paper, not on a phone, and so, again fortunately, don’t … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27318 – Saturday, 06 April. What’s a Grecian Urn?”
Jumbo 1373
Nothing unusual to report in this one apart from a couple of definitions that I was unaware of. I am not sure whether the date of publishing this puzzle was intentional given 28A. Apologies for … Read more “Jumbo 1373”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1329 by Izetti
It’s Friday and we have our old friend Izetti to give us a proper Friday work-out. He has treated us to some great clues and entertaining and smooth surfaces today. Nearly all perfectly fair, although … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1329 by Izetti”
Times 27,323: Sandwich Watch
With hindsight there was nothing too intricate about the cluing here, which is just as well as I tackled it after an Anchor Steam Beer (Made In San Francisco since 1896), but there was a … Read more “Times 27,323: Sandwich Watch”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1328 by Des
I’m afraid I have no time to offer. Self-inflicted cognitive impairment. Drunk, you might call it. I did try, I stared at the swimming letters for nearly ten minutes, even got an answer or two, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1328 by Des”
Times Cryptic No 27322 Thursday, 11 April 2019 Definitive
Not as much “fun” as George had last week, which is probably just as well. I didn’t initially get much at the top end, and bumbled through the lower clues steadily enough before discovering that … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27322 Thursday, 11 April 2019 Definitive”