Very, very straightforward. I did not time myself but I pretty well completed this from top left to bottom right without stopping. I think I only went back afterwards to check 21A was correct. My … Read more “Jumbo 1453”
Month: August 2020
Quick Cryptic 1684 by Joker
Seemed a bit chewy at the time, but is fairly straigtforward in retrospect, which means the surfaces are clever. LOI 6dn – they get me every time. Curarist’s third law states that if you’re completely stumped, it’s probably … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1684 by Joker”
Times 27,749: A Fool And Its Cheeses Are Soon Partaken Of
Well this was tasty, tasty, very very tasty. A Friday smorgasbord of proper Timesy vocab and some truly superb constructions, a number of which I only fully appreciated in the post-solve write-up. In the heat … Read more “Times 27,749: A Fool And Its Cheeses Are Soon Partaken Of”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1683 by Tracy
This is one of the most efficiently and succinctly clued crosswords I have seen for a goodly while. Excellent craftsmanship from Tracy, with barely a wasted syllable. It took me just 11 minutes to crack, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1683 by Tracy”
Times 27748: #isthetimescrosswordoninstagramnow
Time taken: 10:52. I thought I was in for a tough time with this one, as a first run through the across clues didn’t yield much, but I did pretty well on a first run … Read more “Times 27748: #isthetimescrosswordoninstagramnow”
Times 27747 – In 1492, the natives discovered they were Indians; they learnt they lived in America
I enjoyed this, my best Wednesday for a while. Not too tricky, not too obscure, not too easy, and quite witty in places. There were enough easy or chestnut clues to get you some crossers … Read more “Times 27747 – In 1492, the natives discovered they were Indians; they learnt they lived in America”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1682 by Teazel
Introduction 8:56. A solid puzzle that took some work to work out. I think I was mainly held up by the anagrams, which I am simply not good at without pencil and paper. Remind me … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1682 by Teazel”
Times Cryptic 27746
Solving time: 40 minutes. Nothing too difficult here. I just needed to work steadily through it. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal … Read more “Times Cryptic 27746”
Times Quick Cryptic 1681 by Oink
Very rapid progress – all bar the last two in just over 6 minutes. The 13ac/dn pair were LOsI. Finished in 7:27 – so A Good Day. I found this extremely enjoyable. Crisp clueing and … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1681 by Oink”
Times 27745 – Feeling Selby’s Pain
I reached new lows on this puzzle. After I’d finished it (12 minutes), I turned to myself and asked, ‘What do you call it when you have a magnificent chance to make a name for … Read more “Times 27745 – Feeling Selby’s Pain”