Yes, this puzzle will be among the last by this setter, and George and I will have to cope with two new setters in the coming year. I greatly enjoy the clarity and simplicity of Don Manley’s Mephistos, and this one was no exception.
Month: November 2022
Sunday Times Cryptic No 5031 by Dean Mayer — A different drum
A very entertaining and somewhat educational exercise.
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1581 – He’s not the Messiah
An unremarkable, but perfectly acceptable, Jumbo. Nothing too easy, nothing too hard.
Times Cryptic No 28434 – Saturday, 29 October 2022. A dissolute chancer – or a frog??
I was amused by 24ac – nice images of kissing frogs. That answer also unlocked the last few clues at the bottom of the grid, so all the more welcome!
Monthly Club Special No 20265 – October 2022
Hello and welcome to my first Monthly Club Special blog. The MCS is a crossword that is like a Championship course in comparison to the local 9-hole Quick Cryptic I mostly blog. I do love tussling with these, though. They take me a long time but I have a lot of fun unveiling the delightfully wacky words, like 1A and 26A in this puzzle and unravelling the masterful wordplay, like 10A here. I hope you all enjoyed this too. Thank-you clever setter!
Update: Two Quick Cryptic Bloggers Have Been Chosen
Thanks to all who applied.
Times 28439 – Some blog announcements, followed by a blog
As is typical for a Friday, this was a bit devious, but my real problem was that I just didn’t know the Italian football team and the UK-centric expression, but I still managed to finish using the skills I have honed in solving Mephistos.
Times Quick Cryptic No 2259 by Trelawney
An enjoyable Friday QC from Trelawney today. No time recorded but I think it was about average for me. Some great clues and entertaining surfaces. I liked 8A, 9D and 18D, but COD to the clever 2D. Thank-you Trelawney! 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 the latest crossword here. Enjoy!
Times Quick Cryptic No 2258 by Oink
Smooth solve, perhaps a touch on the gentle side of average difficulty.
Times 28438 – the puzzle that drove me over the edge
The leaderboard shows me at 10:57, but I don’t really have a time for this puzzle, since something went haywire while I was trying to fill in the grid and the screen froze up, then … Read more “Times 28438 – the puzzle that drove me over the edge”