Time: 31 minutesMusic: None, another outdoor solve I found this one rather tough for a Monday. There are some uncommon words and allusions that not everyone will know, meaning solvers may have to make a … Read more “Times 27727 – ” I saw yin o’ the travelin’ folk, along the open road….”
Month: July 2020
Sunday Times 4912 by David McLean – advance, police cars!
11:57. Nothing too difficult in this one. The unknown coins at 26ac looked very unlikely, even with such crystal-clear wordplay, but more or less everything else was familiar to me. So without further ado… Definitions … Read more “Sunday Times 4912 by David McLean – advance, police cars!”
Mephisto 3125 – Tim Moorey
It’s your weekly dose of barred-grid, this time with Tim Moorey and a puzzle that I found pretty straightforward – usually Tim throws in a few cultural references that are not in my wheelhouse, but … Read more “Mephisto 3125 – Tim Moorey”
Times Cryptic No 27720 – Saturday, 18 July 2020. Generous rewards for general knowledge.
There was much here beyond my ken, but only 12dn eluded me completely. The rest was a medium difficulty solve, with some delightful touches from the likes of the batsman at 9ac and the boozer … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27720 – Saturday, 18 July 2020. Generous rewards for general knowledge.”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1449: A Day At The Races
An easy one to blaze straight through, with many of the answers being just what you’d first expect them to be, requiring just a cursory check of the cryptic part to confirm. I mean you … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1449: A Day At The Races”
Quick Cryptic 1664 by Orpheus
8 minutes. Immediately abandoned my attempt to do it as a clean sweep, having been unable to spot 1ac without a bit of help. Generally straightforward, unusual (and helpful) grid pattern. COD 1 dn for sure. … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1664 by Orpheus”
Times 27,725: Turning Base Clues Into Gold
After a pretty tough crossword mid-week I was half expecting a slight disappointment today but it turned out to be a good ‘un, with lots of rather deviosities to contend with. I went in strong … Read more “Times 27,725: Turning Base Clues Into Gold”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1663 by Joker
Back on duty after a few welcome day’s break in Devon. After my miserable failure to spot an obvious superhero theme in my last blog, I have searched in vain for a theme or NINA … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1663 by Joker”
Times 27724… reverse engineering
Solving time: 8:24. Far more straightforward solve than yesterday’s which I didn’t find the time to comment on but it seems there was not a great deal of love. This is a classic, and a … Read more “Times 27724… reverse engineering”
Times 27723 – Stretched to the limit.
I found this difficult, and rather frustrating. When I did get the answers to some of the clues, I was much more in ‘I suppose so’ mode than ‘of course, that’s clever’. In fact I … Read more “Times 27723 – Stretched to the limit.”