No fewer than four double definitions (DDs) here and plenty of deletion too, certainly contributory factors to making this a rather easy offering. Only the papal mini-bull held me up to any extent, but even that was pretty tractable. As a bull – of whatever size – should be.
Month: May 2022
Quick Cryptic 2130 by Corelli
Solving time: 8 minutes. This is only Corelli’s 27th Quick Cryptic although he was amongst the original setters when the puzzle was introduced in 2014.
Mephisto 3218 – Churchill’s Island
Although I finished in one sitting of about two hours, I found this pretty tricky. There are a few places where you have to cross-reference variable spellings among different words – for example, stanyel might be staniel or stannel, so you have to go see whether a meadow can be a ley, a len, or a lei. What fun! And just when you think it’s all obscure archaic words from Chambers, the setter throws in Neil Diamond.
Sunday Times Cryptic 5005, by Robert Price — Take 2 puzzles and call me in the morning (just once!)
Great fun, as always, from Bob. Some very tricky stuff, I thought, but no perplexity remaining in the end.
Times Cryptic No 28278 – Saturday, 30 April 2022. Who will buy my bright red roses?
A regulation Saturday challenge, done in perhaps slightly under regulation time. 11D stretched my knowledge of Covent Garden – do they sell roses there? 14A amused me, and 15D stretched my vocabulary. Thanks to the … Read more “Times Cryptic No 28278 – Saturday, 30 April 2022. Who will buy my bright red roses?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1552 – 23rd April
I found this a satisfying Jumbo to complete with some masterful complex wordplay, whimsical definitions and neat surfaces to admire. Quite a few single letter deletions, I thought, so my strikethrough button in the editor got plenty of use.
Times Quick Cryptic No 2129 by Hurley
A slightly harder than average Quick Crossword, if my time (6:16) is anything to go by, from Hurley today. I found the long answers a bit tricky and got stuck trying, in vain, to make the answer to 13A VIRTUE. My LOI was 16D where I was expecting the King at the end not the beginning. Nice one. Thank-you Hurley. How did you all get on?
Times 28,283: Sorted for E’s and Pot
I liked this a lot, with its very correct quotas of interesting vocabulary, artsy GK, and humorous constructions. COD to 12ac as the idea of a boatload of Father Christmases very much appealed. Thank you setter!
Times Quick Cryptic No 2128 by Parkin
So we have a new setter today (or a new name at least): the word ‘Parkin’ has cropped up a few times in crosswords past, clued as a gingerbread or teatime snack (and completely forgotten by me). It looked like we were in for an easy one, with the first five clues going straight in, but things got trickier and I ended up a good couple of minutes over target
28282, Thursday, 5 May 2022 A preponderance of Conservative Women
I can’t say I found this particularly difficult, and after trying to fill in the missing letters from M_R_H_S_A_ for a short eternity, finally completed in 15.37