I found this Mephisto a little challenging. I got off to a good enough start, but found the last few a little tough to pin down. Part of my problem is that the letters supplied … Read more “Mephisto 3120 – Soothing the savage breast”
Month: June 2020
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1444: In Which Moustachios Are Twirled
I found this quite challenging and there were some rather brilliant feats of cluing, in particular the breaking down and reconstructions of words such as 33dn and especially my LOI (by a mile) and COD … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1444: In Which Moustachios Are Twirled”
Sunday Times 4907, by Dean Mayer — Going Up ’T Country
Take a deep breath… it’s really a BREEZE! For some reason, this puzzle seemed a lot harder at first (I didn’t even see the hidden word—what else could it have been?!) than it turned out … Read more “Sunday Times 4907, by Dean Mayer — Going Up ’T Country”
Times Cryptic No 27690 – Saturday, 13 June 2020. In the meantime …
In the meantime, in between time, ain’t we got fun? This crossword took us from sunup with the swelling sound of birdsong (kookaburras, for example) to sundown (time for supper), but it was a quick … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27690 – Saturday, 13 June 2020. In the meantime …”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1639 by Izetti
Today’s quickie from Izetti is fairly straightforward, I think, yet still with his characteristic smooth surfaces. No less than 6 anagrams and a cryptic definition that is barely cryptic along with generous wordplay make this … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1639 by Izetti”
Times 27,695: Drowning By Numbers
Well this was a belter – a proper Friday challenge in every way, but ALSO a pangram and ALSO containing every cardinal number from ZERO to TEN hidden in the answers. Perhaps the setter was … Read more “Times 27,695: Drowning By Numbers”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1638 by Hurley
I found this of very similar difficulty to yesterday’s QC, which I did just beforehand, taking a bit over 7 minutes for each – this was perhaps helped along by doing them after yesterday’s 15×15, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1638 by Hurley”
27694 Thursday, 18 June 2020 You simply have nothing to fear
I took nearly 30 minutes over this, which is odd because that suggests I found it hard, and I’m not convinced it is. I was not helped by failing with the top left corner, and … Read more “27694 Thursday, 18 June 2020 You simply have nothing to fear”
Times 27693 – what did the Romans do for us?
A somewhat more chewy puzzle this Wednesday, not impossible at all, but it took me half an hour and then a bit longer to work out how and why 25a, 3d and 17a worked having … Read more “Times 27693 – what did the Romans do for us?”
Times Quick Cryptic 1637 by Orpheus
Another well-pitched puzzle from Orpheus, with enough to chew on but not totally indigestible. I certainly started to get worried when 1ac, 5ac, and 1dn failed to appear, but as has been said many times … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1637 by Orpheus”