Author: branch

This was a very interesting mix of clues. There were some lovely definitions, like 1ac and 2ac for a start. There were also some clues that would only appeal to me if the puzzle was … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27180 – Saturday, 27 October 2018. Open book exam?”

This had some relatively obscure vocabulary, but happily the wordplay generally told us how to spell the answers. So, no complaints on that score here. Now that the clocks have changed, I normally do the … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27174 – Saturday, 20 October 2018. A whale of a puzzle.”

This puzzle had some very original wordplay, like 13ac and 1dn. 1dn was my clue of the day. It was all so smooth, I don’t have much else to say here. Thanks to the setter … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27168 – Saturday, 13 October 2018. Cue the cunning clues.”

This was a struggle. Particularly horrible were the clues with obscure answers which one couldn’t construct with certainty from the wordplay. Yes, I’m looking at you, Carne Ebbas Giant (sic) and Fianne Fáil (sic). Those … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27162 – Saturday, 06 October 2018. Parish pumps primed?”

Based on comments in last week’s blog, I clearly underestimated the difficulty of that puzzle. Undeterred, I’m going to call this week’s “easy for a Saturday”! I was finished in about 25 minutes. How did … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27156 – Saturday, 29 September 2018. Blowing in the wind.”

I rated this a middle of the road Saturday puzzle. Several clues referred to things I didn’t know, but not vital to finding the answer. My clue of the day was 11ac. I found it … Read more “Saturday, 22 September 2018 – Times Cryptic No 27150. Pack round, people.”

Well – where has this setter been hiding? This puzzle wasn’t easy, and had delightful originality. Unusual vocabulary, original wordplay, delicious definitions. I gathered it was going to be a challenge when my first pass … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27144 – Saturday, 15 September 2018. A crossword from another universe?”

Times Cryptic No 27138 – Saturday, 08 September 2018. Tennis, anyone? Once again I had a full weekend of meetings – don’t mention the tennis! – so I did this in bits and pieces, and … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27138 – Saturday, 08 September 2018. Tennis, anyone?”

I found this puzzle a workout! About a third of the clues were “regular weight” and went in in 10 minutes or so, then I spent another hour or more looking at clue after clue … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27132 – Saturday, 01 September 2018. Don’t talk of clues – show me!”

I did this in bits and piece during a busy Saturday so I don’t have a time to report. I thought it might have been a little harder than recent Saturdays, but it was a … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27126 – Saturday, 25 August 2018. Resistance is futile.”