Time taken: 16:55, with about three minutes agoising over my last one in, and after crossing my fingers and hitting submit I found I had a very silly typo elsewhere. The early indications are that … Read more “Times 28144 – run away, run away!”
Month: November 2021
Times Quick Cryptic No 2013 by Joker
A neatly concise QC from Joker which took me one minute over target to 16 minutes, so towards the tougher end of the Rotterometer. There are some old chestnuts (Eton (again!), the chatty judge, etc.) … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2013 by Joker”
Times Quick Cryptic 2012 by Mara
Introduction DNF, thanks to 11 Down (my parsing remains questionable). Solutions Across 1 Difficult situation spinners turned around (4)SPOT = TOPS reversed 4 Display feathers in final confrontation (8)SHOWDOWN = SHOW + DOWN … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2012 by Mara”
Times 28143 – no stone unturned.
A rapid solve for me with nothing unknown or uncomfortable. Unusually, two and a half homophones. Not as much fun as some recent Wednesdays, but pleasant enough. Across 1 One-time citizen’s infant boy consuming half … Read more “Times 28143 – no stone unturned.”
Times Cryptic 28142
Solving time: 33 minutes, and as this would suggest I found it quite straightforward. I needed a confidence-builder after some of the difficult 15 x15 solves I experienced last week. As usual definitions are underlined … Read more “Times Cryptic 28142”
Times Quick Cryptic No 2011 by Tracy
As your regular Tuesday blogger Chris is away for a while, I’ve come off the substitutes’ bench to fill his slot today. When I printed out this crossword from Tracy, I was struck by the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2011 by Tracy”
Times 28141 – Sunil Havaskar?
Mondays appear to have been ramped up a bit recently, with this one coming in at around my true NITCH. (The actual number is lower, but that’s mainly owing to the fact that submissions with … Read more “Times 28141 – Sunil Havaskar?”
Times Quick Cryptic 2010 by Orpheus
Solving time: 9 minutes. Maybe some tricky clues here. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2010 by Orpheus”
Mephisto 3194 – Always check the record date!
This was not too bad, but I did have to ply my copy of Chambers a bit. Fortunately, there were some easy ways to get started, as I opened operations at the bottom of the … Read more “Mephisto 3194 – Always check the record date!”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4981, by David McLean — Straight, No Chaser
Synchronicity! Not long after I had gotten comfy in front of my SmartTV to work this in my usual unhurried fashion, YouTube offered a video of a Thelonious Monk performance, which you can bet I … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4981, by David McLean — Straight, No Chaser”