I think this is the third puzzle in a row that I have blogged that has had a very low anagram hit rate. I think I got as far as 5D before the first one … Read more “QC 1835 by Joker”
Month: March 2021
Sunday Times 4946 by Dean Mayer
14:19. Good fun, as usual. Lots to enjoy, and I particularly liked ‘near waterworks’. There were a few unknowns in here for me but the wordplay was sufficiently helpful. Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like … Read more “Sunday Times 4946 by Dean Mayer”
Mephisto 3159 – Paul McKenna
Greetings barred-grid fans. I had quite a few question marks around my grid, usually meaning wordplay or definition I had to look up. I didn’t start this until fairly late in the week so I … Read more “Mephisto 3159 – Paul McKenna”
Times Cryptic No 27924 – Saturday, 13 March 2021. Down the middle of the fairway, or into the rough?
Times Cryptic No 27924 – Saturday, 13 March 2021. A satisfyingly “Saturday” puzzle. All doable, but not much easy. An obscure term at 22dn, but clear from the wordplay. The best cricketing clue ever at … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27924 – Saturday, 13 March 2021. Down the middle of the fairway, or into the rough?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1486 – Jumbo bucket
I thought this was a brilliant puzzle, jam-packed with clever definitions and original, witty, crafty wordplay. Those two elements meant it took me somewhere over an hour to get to grips with everything. I hope … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1486 – Jumbo bucket”
Quick Cryptic 1834 by Felix
I took a while getting going with this, and I’m going to guess that a lot of people will find it difficult. Some good clues, but some of the devices are a little advanced for … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1834 by Felix”
Times 27,929: Lateral Basilica
Some relatively straightforward clues in the mix today, but also some that required sideways jumps to make sense of: 6dn proved my personal nemesis as I spent a long time unable even to discern where … Read more “Times 27,929: Lateral Basilica”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1833 by Teazel
For some unaccountable reason, this puzzle took me a minute over target at 16 minutes. Looking back on it as I blog it, it appears very easy and straightforward! 1a occurred to me immediately on … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1833 by Teazel”
Times 27928 – no train spotting
Time taken: 8:02. Greetings all – this has been an odd week for me. The USA going to Daylight Savings time two weeks earlier than the UK means that the puzzle doesn’t appear until 8pm … Read more “Times 27928 – no train spotting”
Times 27927 – wizard stuff.
I really enjoyed this one. It took me about half an hour, but I was relishing the wit and subleties along the way, and going astray a couple of times before seeing the light. (Geddit?). … Read more “Times 27927 – wizard stuff.”