A neatly-clued, Friday-appropriate crossword with a Dickensian cast of ne’er-do-wells in it: toady, mountebank, roue, larrikin, weasel and she-devil, not to mention some military stuffed shirts and an incorrigible lefty. I had a good time … Read more “Times 27,545: Rogue’s Gallery”
Month: December 2019
Times Quick Cryptic No 1513 by Orpheus
Maybe I’m a little jaded after yesterday’s festivities, but this took me 20 minutes, well outside my target range. Other than one slightly questionable answer (17a – see below), I can’t see any real excuse … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1513 by Orpheus”
Times 27544 – joyous boxing everyone!
Solving time: 8:29. Since I got started on this pretty much bang on mignight GMT I was surprised to see that I was the second time in, but neilr was up and alert and a … Read more “Times 27544 – joyous boxing everyone!”
Times 27543 – tasty turkey, with a few chewy bits
This is my sixth year of Wednesday blogging but the first in which Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday, so I was quite surprised to find I didn’t get a day off and there was … Read more “Times 27543 – tasty turkey, with a few chewy bits”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1512 by Wurm
Introduction A gentle, enjoyable puzzle for Christmas Day. I would have finished in 5:20, but couldn’t get 19 Down. I knew what was going on but simply didn’t know the word. Two minutes later, I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1512 by Wurm”
Times Cryptic 27542
Solving time: Forgot to record it. Merry Christmas one and all! As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square … Read more “Times Cryptic 27542”
Times Quick Cryptic 1511 by Teazel
I seemed to be taking a while with all the long clues so was surprised when I had it all wrapped it all up in 8:44 with loi 3dn. A Yuletide salute to the valiant … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1511 by Teazel”
Times 27541 – Baldrick meets Benny Hill
I was bang on the wavelength for this one, romping home in 11 and a half minutes. I never thought one of CS Lewis’s favourite expressions would become a chestnut, but MARES NEST is in … Read more “Times 27541 – Baldrick meets Benny Hill”
Times Quick Cryptic 1510 by Joker
Solving time: 7 minutes. Quite straightforward I think, but we shall see what others made of it… As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1510 by Joker”
Mephisto 3094 – 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. 10A … Read more “Mephisto 3094 – by Don Manley”