Lots to enjoy here – and lots of anagrams. I got into all sorts of problems in the SW where I confidently entered completely the wrong answer for 22ac. Over in the SE I hit … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2096 by Mara”
Month: March 2022
Times Quick Cryptic 2095 by Orpheus
Hello again. I thought this puzzle had quite a traditional style. It didn’t strike me as all that much easier than usual, but I didn’t fall into any bear traps and everything slotted into place … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2095 by Orpheus”
Times 28243 – Monday, Monday, Part II
Time: 23 minutesMusic, Dvorak, Symphony 8, Dorati/LSO Here we have another fairly standard Monday puzzle that will put up little resistance to skilled solvers. I just got hung up at the end for a bit … Read more “Times 28243 – Monday, Monday, Part II”
Sunday Times 4998 by Robert Price
11:04. Another lovely puzzle from Mr Price. Not too difficult, but beautifully put together. The next puzzle I blog will be number 5,000. I wonder if Peter B has something special planned for us. Definitions … Read more “Sunday Times 4998 by Robert Price”
Mephisto 3211 – Don Manley
Greetings barred-grid fans! Another wordplay tour de force from Don Manley, no question marks on my grid but a lot of notes in the margins. In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most direct of which is … Read more “Mephisto 3211 – Don Manley”
Times Cryptic No 28236 – Saturday, 12 March 2022. No lack of spirit here.
I thought I detected more humour than usual in this offering. 17ac made me smile, and 15dn had a light touch. New setter, or just a sunny day? We’ve finally had some sunshine in these … Read more “Times Cryptic No 28236 – Saturday, 12 March 2022. No lack of spirit here.”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1544: A Day At The Races
Looking at the leaderboard for this I see Magoo did it in 12.13, Jason in 12.25, your correspondent in 12.34, Mistigris in 13.15… a gallop down a completely straight track to a photo finish, but … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1544: A Day At The Races”
Quick Cryptic 2094 by Juno
Another four-and-a-half-minuter for me, compact and pleasing with some nice surfaces esp 12ac and 24 ac. I didn’t know 11 across, but the wordplay was straightforward. Across 1 Stella met hysteria, displaying jewel (8) AMETHYST … Read more “Quick Cryptic 2094 by Juno”
Times 28,241: Nothing Quite Like It For Cooling The Blog
I found this “quirky” with some rather unusual vocabulary and cluing but not too hard for all that: I clocked in at 6.5 minutes. COD to 5ac for pure “what the heck?”-ness. Apparently there’s a … Read more “Times 28,241: Nothing Quite Like It For Cooling The Blog”
Times 28240 – by the time I get to Phoenix
Time taken: 9:48, and although that is pretty close to my average time, there are not a lot of faster times in the list right now, so I think this is a bit more difficult … Read more “Times 28240 – by the time I get to Phoenix”