Medium-hard I reckon, with some very nice surfaces and cluing to make this go down a smooth treat. I very much liked the “(very!) unsubtle alternative to the key” and the highly relatable surface to … Read more “Times 27,953: Am I My Blogger’s Keeper?”
Month: April 2021
Times 27952 – all this and some biochemistry
Time taken: 14:47. That is a little bit longer than my usual, and looking at some of the early scores, I think this is going to fall into the more difficult camp. I am hoping … Read more “Times 27952 – all this and some biochemistry”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1853 by Pedro
This was a relatively easy solve (12 minutes for me) but with a couple of pieces of chewy parsing along the way. Not too much esoteric general knowledge required, although 11a, 1d, 4d may cause … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1853 by Pedro”
Times 27951 – I’m not going to hold back the waves…
A pleasant straightforward offering today, which I found almost as fast to complete as Monday’s this week. A handful of anagrams or compound anagrams (none of foreign words) will get you writing in circles perhaps. … Read more “Times 27951 – I’m not going to hold back the waves…”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1852 by Jalna
Introduction 5:58, with a minute spent on my last one in (2 Down). Solutions A brief summary of cryptic crosswords —feel free to skip— : Each clue has at least one “definition”: an unbroken string of … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1852 by Jalna”
Times Cryptic 27950
At 27 minutes I had solved all but 19ac and 19dn, then after a further 5 minutes I cracked 19ac. Then I gave up. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions … Read more “Times Cryptic 27950”
Times Quick Ctyptic 1851 by Joker
I found this quite tricky and finished just outside target of 10 minutes. There’s a rash of double definitions and anagrams to enjoy. Definitions are underlined. Across 1 Hit second vehicle (6) STRUCK – second … Read more “Times Quick Ctyptic 1851 by Joker”
Times 27949 – Chestnut Season
Maybe that’s being a bit unfair, but the eponymous protagonist of one of Dickens’ least read books and a certain part of a church do seem to be popping up with great regularity. Not that … Read more “Times 27949 – Chestnut Season”
Times Quick Cryptic 1850 by Oink
I completed all but 15ac within 7 minutes but then needed another 2 minutes, eventually resorting to an alphabet trawl, to come up with the answer. FOOTNOTE: I recommend that anyone who has their sights … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1850 by Oink”
Mephisto 3162 – Paul’s right, it’s wrong!
This puzzle turned into a lengthy struggle that spanned the week, as I slowly reduced the stubborn areas. While I did come up with a correct and complete solution, I still cannot parse some of … Read more “Mephisto 3162 – Paul’s right, it’s wrong!”