Given that this puzzle appeared on Halloween, I wondered if there would be spooky things afoot. As it turned out, no … it was much more treat than trick. I finished quickly and relatively easily. … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27810 – Saturday, 31 October 2020. Happy Halloween.”
Author: branch
Times Cryptic No 27804 – Saturday, 24 October 2020. Summer’s almost gone.
Well the clocks went back in the UK overnight, and this was a good puzzle to signal the end of summer on that side of the world. Nothing too testing. A nice bit of tiffin … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27804 – Saturday, 24 October 2020. Summer’s almost gone.”
Times Cryptic No 27798 – Saturday, 17 October 2020. Anyone for badminton?
I would have rated this as middle of the road for a Saturday, until I got hopelessly stuck in the NW corner. It turned out I had never heard of the specific form of the … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27798 – Saturday, 17 October 2020. Anyone for badminton?”
Times Cryptic No 27792 – Saturday, 10 October 2020. Now don’t kick up a fuss!
After an easy puzzle the previous Saturday, this one restored the balance in definitive fashion! It had some general knowledge gaps for me, and many clever clues and cunning definitions. My favourite was 9dn, with … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27792 – Saturday, 10 October 2020. Now don’t kick up a fuss!”
Times Cryptic No 27786 – Saturday, 3 October 2020. Quick, quick … it’s Saturday.
This was definitely easier than your usual Saturday! I did enjoy the humour in some of the clues. My LOI was 24dn, where I had a bit of a blank about Glasgow banks. Thanks to … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27786 – Saturday, 3 October 2020. Quick, quick … it’s Saturday.”
Times Cryptic No 27780 – Saturday, 26 September 2020. Lazing on a weekend afternoon.
Ah Saturday. Another accessible puzzle. Every answer was from the known universe of discourse, and no clue was trivial. Just how I like it! My favourite was 5ac, with its delightful self-referential qualities. Thanks to … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27780 – Saturday, 26 September 2020. Lazing on a weekend afternoon.”
Times Cryptic No 27774 – Saturday, 19 September 2020. Another Pleasant Puzzle Saturday.
My better half and I agreed this week that the daily sudoku puzzles in our morning paper seem to be getting easier. Is it a coronavirus thing? In similar vein, it’s been quite a while … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27774 – Saturday, 19 September 2020. Another Pleasant Puzzle Saturday.”
Times Cryptic No 27768 – Saturday, 12 September 2020. Que sera, sera.
A puzzle with middle of the road difficulty, but much to enjoy, including three nice homophones. Some nice hints of fate and eternity at 9ac and 3dn, but my favourite was 24ac which made me … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27768 – Saturday, 12 September 2020. Que sera, sera.”
Times Cryptic No 27762 – Saturday, 5 September 2020. Put a sock in it!
This was a smooth solve, with quite a few cluing devices that will be familiar to experienced solvers but may challenge newer hands. I am always amused by the use of “Oxford” in the style … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27762 – Saturday, 5 September 2020. Put a sock in it!”
Times Cryptic No 27756 – Saturday, 29 August 2020. Never a dull clue.
In spite of the setter’s self-deprecation in 5ac and 10ac, this was a very entertaining puzzle. The five double definitions really stood out. At first sight, I thought a couple of other clues were DDs … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27756 – Saturday, 29 August 2020. Never a dull clue.”