A meaty puzzle, this one. Many nice surfaces, and lots to mull over. The only answers that were beyond my general knowledge was helpfully clued. My clue of the day was 25ac – lucky lass, … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27570 – Saturday, 25 January 2020. O, I’ll take the low road …”
Author: branch
Times Cryptic No 27564 – Saturday January 18th 2020. Hard, not hard.
This was a slow solve for me, but really there isn’t anything fearsome involved. The clue of the day for me was the elegant 5dn. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. Clues … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27564 – Saturday January 18th 2020. Hard, not hard.”
Times Cryptic No 27558 – Saturday January 11th, 2020. Another pleasant midsummer Saturday.
Times Cryptic No 27558 – Saturday January 11th, 2020. Another pleasant midsummer Saturday. The setters continue to be gentle in the holiday season. I rolled through this one at a steady pace. Strangely my LOI … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27558 – Saturday January 11th, 2020. Another pleasant midsummer Saturday.”
Times Cryptic No 27552 – Saturday, 04 January 2020. Through a smoke haze darkly.
Again, I found this puzzle hard to start and then relatively easy to finish. In other news, Australia is still here. We were planning a family trip to Canberra next week, but had to cancel … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27552 – Saturday, 04 January 2020. Through a smoke haze darkly.”
Times Cryptic No 27546 – Saturday 28 December 2019. Fire, fire everywhere.
Millions of hectares (over ten million acres) ablaze. Over a thousand homes destroyed. People dead. Tens of thousands evacuated. Smoke giving our cities have the worst air quality in the world. And climate denialist politicians … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27546 – Saturday 28 December 2019. Fire, fire everywhere.”
Times Cryptic No 27540 – Saturday, 21 December 2019. Feeling a lot like Christmas.
In fact while I was solving this puzzle it felt so much like Christmas that, as soon as I saw that the helpers for 2dn were C-R-S—, I wrote in CHRISTMAS without further ado. Too … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27540 – Saturday, 21 December 2019. Feeling a lot like Christmas.”
Times Cryptic No 27534 – Saturday, 14 December 2019. Piano forte!
I found this easy for a Saturday. FOI 6ac, LOI 26ac. Some answers I’ll need to check in the dictionary for this blog. The clever wordplay at 14ac made that my clue of the day. … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27534 – Saturday, 14 December 2019. Piano forte!”
Times Cryptic No 27528 – Saturday, 07 December 2019. Three’s a crowd.
What a delight. No obscure general knowledge except perhaps 12 or 20ac, but much to puzzle and surprise the solver. My LOI was 21dn, after an alphabet trawl and some subsequent head scratching. My clue … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27528 – Saturday, 07 December 2019. Three’s a crowd.”
Times Cryptic No 27522 – Saturday, 30 November 2019. Playing with Fire.
A straightforward Saturday puzzle. I didn’t need vinyl to hear the raw voice of Mick Jagger after I cracked 19dn. My clue of the day was 6dn. Well done them in the World Cup! Thanks … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27522 – Saturday, 30 November 2019. Playing with Fire.”
Times Cryptic No 27516 – Saturday, 23 November 2019. Goldilocks!
This was in the Goldilocks zone for me – not too hard, not too easy, and with much to enjoy. I smiled at the cunning definitions of 16 and 26ac, and admired the unusual wordplay … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27516 – Saturday, 23 November 2019. Goldilocks!”