I had to consult the dictionary over 9ac before seeing the answer to 2dn, so DNF after many long minutes staring at those last two clues. Apart from that, and despite some other unknowns, a very enjoyable test.
Month: May 2022
Times 28281 – this tastes fishy, or maybe salty.
Another masterpiece of misdirection from our Wednesday setter, it took me nearly 45 minutes in two spells with a break, to do this and parse it all.
Times Quick Cryptic 2126 by Tracy
Happily buzzed through this in 8 minutes. Hope you enjoyed it as I did.
Times Cryptic 28280
Solving time: 41 minutes. There were some tricky clues here but I worked my way through it steadily and was reasonably satisfied with my solving time.
Additional Quick Cryptic
Please note there is an error in the Times on-line puzzles section today which has two Quick Cryptics: #2126 by Tracy and #2127 by Joker.
Times 28279 – Slow-motion solving, or….
This was a not-so-mild puzzle for a Monday, that took a little doing. I got off on the wrong foot almost immediately, looking at the first clue and thinking: is the magazine Life, or Look? Fortunately, I managed to get a toehold with a few of the across clues, got a few of the downs, and was off. The vocabulary is just a bit outside the usual: marlinspike, intendant, psychodrama, Afrikaans – I don’t think we see these very often.
Times Quick Cryptic 2125 by Oink
Hi everybody. I have always liked Oink’s puzzles, finding them sound, gentle and a lot of fun – everything a Quick Cryptic should be. After a good start I slowed in the SW and finished in a whisker over 6 and a half minutes, still towards the lower end of my usual time range.
Monthly Club Special 20,259: Anais, Zaha and Ella Walk Into A Bar…
It seems this got lost in the shuffle of the site move, but very unjustly, since it contains many many moments of pure cryptic artistry. Nothing pushes the envelope further (and better!) than these MCS … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,259: Anais, Zaha and Ella Walk Into A Bar…”
Sunday Times 5004 by Dean Mayer – three good men unhanged
12:26. Another excellent puzzle. There were one or two in this one that I found a bit odd, but if that’s the price for Dean’s extraordinary creativity it’s one I’m happy to pay. What a great setter he is.
Mephisto 3217 – Don Manley
Greetings barred-grid fans! I found this week’s offering a little trickier than Don Manley’s recent Mephisto puzzles, though I was not helped by confidently putting TOOTS in at 16 across, and another typo in an early down that held up the top half for a long time.