This must have been easy because I completed it in 23 minutes, 7 within my target half-hour. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, … Read more “Times Cryptic 27944”
Month: April 2021
Times 27943 – The devil, you say?
Time: 21 minutesMusic: Elgar, Enigma Variations, Boult/LSO. Not so easy a Monday, for a change. I made a decent time only because I biffed like mad, and only used the cryptics when needed. This setter … Read more “Times 27943 – The devil, you say?”
QC 1845 by Hurley
Went through this pretty quickly and almost sequentially. Thank you Hurley for an enjoyable puzzle although it was marred I think by 5D at which my eyebrow went so far up my forehead that it … Read more “QC 1845 by Hurley”
Sunday Times 4948 by David McLean
8:15. A very unusual grid this week: one that I don’t remember seeing before. The long series of unchecked lights black squares around the edges give it an odd look, and there are no short … Read more “Sunday Times 4948 by David McLean”
Mephisto 3161 – Tim Moorey
Greetings barred-grid fans. I’m writing from my deck looking down at a bumper crop of poorly-masked tourists, it being school holidays and Easter weekend. I will hopefully feel less bitter about my fellow Americans soon, … Read more “Mephisto 3161 – Tim Moorey”
Times Cryptic No 27936 – Saturday, 27 March 2021. New and different?
This Crossword had a very fresh feel to it. Was it a new or different setter, I wonder? I got though it very quickly but paused to admire clue after clue as I went. I … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27936 – Saturday, 27 March 2021. New and different?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo No. 1488 – 20 March 2021
Hello again. This Jumbo I thought was a really good one, with a number of imaginative clues and a lot of very nice surface readings, which I always like. I found it mostly straightforward, though … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo No. 1488 – 20 March 2021”
Quick Cryptic 1844 by Mara
This was a five-minute romp, and very wecome given my post-birthday hangover. It’s probably the easiest one I’ve ever blogged, despite the slighly unhelpful grid. Loads of double definitions. I did enjoy the freak of nature … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1844 by Mara”
Times 27,941: Euler? Euler? Anyone?
Nothing against this puzzle per se but I found it a little bland for a Friday slot: mostly ordinary words straightforwardly enough clued, and quickly enough put to bed. I guess I didn’t know a … Read more “Times 27,941: Euler? Euler? Anyone?”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1843 by Corelli
An excellent puzzle with a clever theme or NINA from Corelli, who traditionally gives us a theme of one sort or another. Just in case you want to look for it yourself, I won’t give … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1843 by Corelli”