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Times Cryptic No 26922 – Saturday, 30 December 2017. A gentle wind-down.

Well the last Saturday crossword for 2017 made for a pleasant finish to the year. Now that clocks have changed I regularly do the crossword over our midday meal and found nothing to upset the … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26922 – Saturday, 30 December 2017. A gentle wind-down.”

I have no idea how long this took, because it was a workshop topic over a pre-Christmas lunch with what might, given luck, be the next generation of crossword fans! I do know that after … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26916 – Sat, 23 December 2017. Never mind the turkey, pass the Crossword please”

Finished on paper in 45 minutes – a gallop by my standards. I think most of the clues in this puzzle are unusually straightforward in structure, with very few obscure references. The challenges are in … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26910 – Saturday, 16 December 2017. A Christmas present?”

Times Cryptic No 26904 – Saturday, 09 December 2017. Diamonds are forever. I struggled with this crossword at the end of a long hard week. Others may have found it easier. Lots of general knowledge … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26904 – Saturday, 09 December 2017. Diamonds are forever.”

Easier than last week I thought, and again with the admirable quality that one could write answers in with the confidence that yes, that must be it … although I had to look twice at … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26898 – Saturday, 02 December 2017. A sunny spot in my day.”

Harder than last week for me, but very enjoyable. Every clue was solvable, even the beast at 18ac, and every answer went in with that satisfying feeling, “yes, clearly that’s it”. I didn’t know a … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26892 – Saturday, 25 November 2017. Give it to me straight, doctor!”

A bit harder than last week I thought, and more exotica, but I got there without ever being driven to desperation. There were lots of clues I liked, but my clue of the day is … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26886 – Saturday, 18 November 2017. It’s an Enigma.”

What happens when the Club site has a wrong solution, as it appears to for 9ac in today’s Cryptic?

This was my idea of a perfect crossword! I am a big fan of puzzles that use familiar words in unfamiliar ways, rather than obscurities from foreign places and times, and/or plant and animal names. … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26880 – Saturday, 11 November 2017. Nice clues if you can get them.”

Times Cryptic No 26874 – Saturday, 04 November 2017. Slowed to a crawl. While, we hoped, the stars of the troupe were tripping and twirling their way through a series of competition puzzles, this one … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26874 – Saturday, 04 November 2017. Slowed to a crawl.”