This was not straightforward. I seemed to do quite a lot of biffing* for a QC, with the parsing only coming later. There are a couple which I don’t think quite work, and a few devices … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1324 by Pedro”
Month: April 2019
Times 27,317: I Want My Mummy!
Woof, this one felt proper Friday hard, and this coming after a week of pretty hard puzzles. To qualify that, about half of it was rather straightforward, but then you’ve got the explosion in a … Read more “Times 27,317: I Want My Mummy!”
Times 27316 – Watch this space!
Greetings all. In the time since writing the blog I have been informed of a few incorrect parsings that I listed in the blog, and some clues were changed in the electronic version of the … Read more “Times 27316 – Watch this space!”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1323 by Orpheus
Well this proved to be a quickie for me from Orpheus, completed and parsed pretty much from top to bottom inside 8 minutes, which is close to a PB. My COD is 21a for its … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1323 by Orpheus”
Times 27315 – all that glisters is not gold.
I found this tough. One of those puzzles where it takes an age to get going properly, then turns into a slow but steady plod, unravelling some of the more obscure wordplay afterwards. Had I … Read more “Times 27315 – all that glisters is not gold.”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1322 by Tracy
A coincidence at 10 Across? In any case, Tracy has my number. Or perhaps a nod to Ximenes and his immaculate “I have most of the time to sew, then I iron (9)”? Taking 9 … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1322 by Tracy”
Times Cryptic 27314
I had a few problems with this one, including ages spent staring at my LOI (8dn) which for some reason eluded me. I got there eventually in 46 minutes. There seem to be a lot … Read more “Times Cryptic 27314”
Times Quick Cryptic 1321 by Teazel
Lots to enjoy here – and I took my time doing so – 13 minutes making sure I’d fully understood each clue. Some really do repay the effort – I particularly liked the brief but … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1321 by Teazel”
Times 27313 – Salut, et encore merci pour le poisson
In my last blog, I mentioned that I had an important announcement to make and today that announcement is made: after seven years and 200 puzzles blogged (today is my 200th), I have decided to … Read more “Times 27313 – Salut, et encore merci pour le poisson”
Times Quick Cryptic 1320 by Breadman
Solving time: 8 minutes. I hesitate to say this was easy but my timing indicates that I found it so. I think the clue construction is mostly straighforward but there could be a few pieces … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1320 by Breadman”