. My solving time was 32 minutes for all but 3 letters, but this was a technical DNF because I had rather lost patience with the puzzle by then so I used aids to complete … Read more “Times Cryptic 28004 – 500 not yet out”
Month: June 2021
Times Quick Cryptic 1896 by Jalna
Short of time again today. Sorry for the minimal blog – and I’ve probably made tols of misteaks! Went just over 10 minutes – unnecessarily held up by 1d but then struggled to finish in … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1896 by Jalna”
Times 28003 – Yes, another man’s Persian.
Time: 23 minutesMusic: Natalie Merchant, Tiger Lily This was interesting. I had to look around for my first one, and unfortunately my first entry turned out to be wrong, as I found out when I … Read more “Times 28003 – Yes, another man’s Persian.”
QC 1895 by Teazel
OK please move on everybody. Nothing to see here. Thanks to Teazel, my oldest adversary I believe, for a gentle Monday-morning stroll. FOI was 1A. A lot of clues went in sequentially after that, with … Read more “QC 1895 by Teazel”
Sunday Times 4958 by Dean Mayer
12:52. A fairly gentle one from Dean this week, and nothing to frighten the horses. There are a few very well-disguised definitions in here (11ac, 2dn, 6dn) that might cause problems but there’s nothing particularly … Read more “Sunday Times 4958 by Dean Mayer”
Mephisto 3171 – Paul McKenna
Greetingd barred-grid fans. Paul McKenna sometimes experiments with grids other than 12×12, and this is an example of an 11×13 grid. With there being one long vertical entry, the grid design breaks it up almost … Read more “Mephisto 3171 – Paul McKenna”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1501 – egg egg egg egg egg Florentine
Well what do you know, the third consecutive bank holiday jumbo falls into my blogging lap. Last time out, to avoid pushing in front of Kitty’s blog, I published some time on the Saturday afternoon … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1501 – egg egg egg egg egg Florentine”
Times Cryptic No 27996 – Saturday, 5 June 2021. Can Scrabble champions jet through crosswords?
My major blockage with this one was the Brazilian jet. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. How did you all get on? [Read more …]Notes for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27996 – Saturday, 5 June 2021. Can Scrabble champions jet through crosswords?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1500 – 29th May 2021. Much Difficulty
Hello everybody. For the third time in a row my blogging day fell on the Saturday before a bank holiday; this time, however, there is a special occasion to mark — and marked it is … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1500 – 29th May 2021. Much Difficulty”
Quick Cryptic 1894 by Pedro
So after a run of tricky ones, I think this will come a bit of welcome relief, being a romp for the most part. That said, I couldn’t get started in the usual place, and … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1894 by Pedro”