Once again the best crossword of the month, if not the whole year. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, MCS-detractors! So much interesting general knowledge required for this one, including basic fluency in … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,231: A Mad-Brain Wordsby, Full of Spleen, Setting Furiously”
Month: December 2019
Times Cryptic 27548
Solving time: 39 minutes. There’s nothing outstanding here but it’s workmanlike and enjoyable enough, and quite welcome as I begin to recover from the excesses of Christmas. I’ve resolved not to stay up late tonight … Read more “Times Cryptic 27548”
Times Quick Cryptic 1516 by Breadman
I found myself diving into, then backing out of, cul-de-sacs all over the grid with a good few not fully parsed until writing up in the blog. A good challenge and a pangram to boot … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1516 by Breadman”
Times 27547 – Something to grind, in the US….
Time: 30 minutesMusic Mahler, Symphony #5, Levine/Philadelphia I found this a bit on the tricky side, with some clever bits that lead to unexpected answers. Fortunately, as an experienced solver, I know when to biff, … Read more “Times 27547 – Something to grind, in the US….”
QC 1515 by Orpheus
This was a very straightforward puzzle, but I can’t really tell you how that translates into time as I did it during a fairly chaotic interlude spent lodging with my mother while her carer was … Read more “QC 1515 by Orpheus”
Sunday Times 4882 by Dean Mayer
26:44. The last Sunday before Christmas has been a Jumbo in recent years, so I was surprised and I confess a little disappointed to open this one and see a standard 15×15 grid. Apparently the … Read more “Sunday Times 4882 by Dean Mayer”
Mephisto 3095 – Tim Moorey
A few little traps for the unwary here, I found this a bit more tricky than recent Mephisto puzzles. I think I’ve figured it out. Rather attractive grid I thought for this one, with the … Read more “Mephisto 3095 – Tim Moorey”
Times Cryptic No 27540 – Saturday, 21 December 2019. Feeling a lot like Christmas.
In fact while I was solving this puzzle it felt so much like Christmas that, as soon as I saw that the helpers for 2dn were C-R-S—, I wrote in CHRISTMAS without further ado. Too … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27540 – Saturday, 21 December 2019. Feeling a lot like Christmas.”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1414: Not Quite Blogged From 11dn, But Pretty Close
Greetings from Memphis TN! As the title suggests, I failed to blog this thematically from any of the answers, but I did change planes at Chicago O’Hare in IL earlier today, so I think I … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1414: Not Quite Blogged From 11dn, But Pretty Close”
Quick Cryptic 1514 by Corelli
Pretty straightforward today, but we have a Nina all about Little Dorrit: AMY, MARSHALSEA, french dungeon, FLINTWICHES, BLEEDING HEART, Creditor, ANTWERP, TIP, SPARKLER, stir – any more? Across 1 Girl starts off at Marshalsea yard … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1514 by Corelli”