Whenever I set up to solve a Mephisto, I naturally have my copy of Chambers at hand. Normally, I look through all the clues and answer all the obvious ones (well, obvious for Mephisto) before I get serious and start checking in the dictionary for possibly relevant words, either for the wordplay and the answer.
Month: September 2022
Sunday Times Cryptic 5025 by Dean Mayer — Crack that c☮de!
Lots of fun here. Wild parties (one that goes on for days) and topless drinking!
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1575 – 10 September 2022. The Scottish Wordplay
Hello all. I doubt I’ll be alone in nominating 14a as Clue of the Day – its subject is hardly going to be outside the solver’s sphere of interest, after all! 18a was also neat, and I liked the long answers too. A happy cat (as seen today grinning in 32a) will always produce a happy Kitty, as will generally a reverse clue – and 35a was a little more interesting than standard.
Times Cryptic No 28398 – Saturday, 17 September 2022. Synchronicity or just a lucky coincidence?
As it happened, I solved this online for once. (So much TV sport, so little time!)
I finished comfortably under 30 minutes. It must have been easy – though I was helped by an unfamiliar answer I’d met for the first time only the day before!
Times Cryptic 28403
Solving time: Off the scale – I stopped counting when the hour passed.
Please note as this is an emergency blog it doesn’t contain all detail I would normally hope to include.
Times Quick Cryptic No 2229 by Izetti
Today I have another Izetti to blog. A little on the hard side again, I think. Some nice clues – I liked 22A and 6D in particular, but there is one word I think is a bit obscure and a couple of other tricky bits in the SE corner. Thank-you Izetti. How did you all get on?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find his crossword here. Apologies to those who were thwarted by the bad link in the blog excerpt to the last one. You can access it via this link: Weekend QC 59.
Times Quick Cryptic No 2228 by Mara
Lovely puzzle from Mara full of imagination.
Times 28402 – giving it a whirl
Time taken: 12:19. I was interrupted twice while solving, but I don’t think it slowed things down that much. I found this one pretty tricky, though some of the early solvers have rather slick times. … Read more “Times 28402 – giving it a whirl”
Times 28401 – Hope for the best
A terrific puzzle, I thought, a few easy clues but a few more which really made me think and then be chuffed when the light dawned.
Times Quick Cryptic 2227 by Jalna
Certainly easier than yesterday’s puzzle, but no pushover.