Another Monthly Club Special, another awesome puzzle. Not a duff or even a merely average clue in this mix but I particularly liked the “two in every seven” device (who but a genius could have … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,245: These Games You Play, They’re Gonna End In More Than Tears Someday”
Month: February 2021
Mephisto 3156 – Persistence? Determination? Resolve?
I found this one a bit on the tough side. It’s not that there were no easy clues, but they seemed to all be located on the right side of the grid. This made for … Read more “Mephisto 3156 – Persistence? Determination? Resolve?”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4943, by Dean Mayer — No major hurdles…
and I am sure I could’ve cracked the fifteen-letter 5 first of all, if Saturday Night Live had not just come on and if the first thing I saw when glancing at the newly printed … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4943, by Dean Mayer — No major hurdles…”
Times Cryptic No 27906 – Saturday, 20 February 2021. What mental block?
I was stuck on this for ages, with three clues unsolved. To clear my mind, I started preparing the blog. Joy – all three jumped out after the break! It’s not an easy puzzle, but … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27906 – Saturday, 20 February 2021. What mental block?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1483 – 13 February 2021
So hello, here I am again, standing in for Simon Hanson for a while. Since my first blog in November 2009, I have blogged, at one time or another, almost all of the crosswords that … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1483 – 13 February 2021”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1819 by Mara
An enjoyable but tricky test from Mara today to end the week. Some lovely clues with no less than 6 ticks in my copy. Not easy in parts, though, and I suspect some less-experienced solvers … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1819 by Mara”
Times 27,911: Vegan-Unfriendly
A dreaded pink square for me in what wasn’t, otherwise, too testing a crossword despite potentially tricky vocab crossing like 6ac/8dn. I bunged “MEALINESS” straight in at 14dn on the assumption that it referred to … Read more “Times 27,911: Vegan-Unfriendly”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1818 by Teazel
I found this rather tricky, and at three-or-so minutes over target took fully twice as long as yesterday’s done just beforehand. No particular hold-ups, but I only got five of the acrosses on a first … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1818 by Teazel”
27910 Thursday, 25 February 2021 I still remember money!
This looks like a not-too-taxing puzzle, which I thought I was doing even better at than my time of 15.44 indicates. No real holdups along the way, although I only worked out the Chinese biscuity … Read more “27910 Thursday, 25 February 2021 I still remember money!”
Times 27909 – we have mad cow disease, but no complaints.
I buzzed through this in twenty minutes or so, going off piste a couple of times at 5d and 8d, having a grumble about 13a and being slightly surprised, but not delayed, at 23a. I … Read more “Times 27909 – we have mad cow disease, but no complaints.”