A few unusual words in this one, two of which were new to me, (buckaroo and lewisia) but no doubt not to everyone. You’ll have a pink square at 13a if you put in INES … Read more “Times 28167 – fairly rich, indeed.”
Month: December 2021
Times Quick Cryptic 2032 by Orpheus
Introduction 5:29, but I needed to check on the unknown 5 Down. A gentle affair which befitted my post-booster exhaustion. Solutions Across 1 Unsuitable environment for Republican poet (4)BARD = BAD around R 4 … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2032 by Orpheus”
Times Cryptic 28166
Solving time: 46 minutes. A technical DNF as I looked up one answer. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators … Read more “Times Cryptic 28166”
Times Quick Cryptic 2031 by Tracy
A gentle one from Tracy today which seemed something of a relief after last week. Zoomed through in 8:30 so I expect the value of K today to be very small. The presence of a … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2031 by Tracy”
Times 28165 – Rider of waves, indeed!
This was definitely a step-up from usual Monday fare, with some cunning misdirection, lots of multi-word definitional bits and one or two bits of obscure (for some) vocabulary. I came a bit of a cropper, … Read more “Times 28165 – Rider of waves, indeed!”
Times Quick Cryptic 2030 by Wurm
Solving time: 10 minutes. Distracted a little by what I take to be an error in the clue at 20ac. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2030 by Wurm”
Mephisto 3198 – I do know it from Adams!
I was determined to finish before going to bed on US Saturday night, and I did. However, I did get stuck with two to go, and had to put it aside and come back after … Read more “Mephisto 3198 – I do know it from Adams!”
Sunday Times Cryptic 4985, by Dean Mayer — Our plastic, 19 language
I was watching Saturday Night Live as I worked this (discovered that Billie Eilish’s birthday is the same as mine, the day this will go live in the United States), and the show was a … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4985, by Dean Mayer — Our plastic, 19 language”
Times Cryptic No 28158 – Saturday, 11 December 2021. Wot, no cricket clue? 18ac!
Barring rain, day three of the second Ashes test will be underway in Adelaide soon after this blog appears. Never mind last week’s result in the first test, we all enjoyed the Saturday puzzle, I’m … Read more “Times Cryptic No 28158 – Saturday, 11 December 2021. Wot, no cricket clue? 18ac!”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1529: Was Araucaria to Urticaria what Prometheus was to Epimetheus?
A fairly zippy Jumbo but most congenial, with neat surfaces everywhere. My COD may have to be 34ac, as I used to sling D12s a lot in my youth, and the surface is obviously great, … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1529: Was Araucaria to Urticaria what Prometheus was to Epimetheus?”