Author: branch

Lots of delightful cluing this week. Great breadth of answers, geographic, culinary, classical, arts and more. Some clever single and double nested answers, and some nice misdirection. Even the dreaded fauna item was something familiar … Read more “Times Saturday 26706 – April 22, 2017. Simply elegant.”

This crossword had a lot of delicious clues. 16dn was an absolute delight! The more obscure answers were all gettable from the wordplay. And happily, no flora, no fauna. A very satisfying crossword. Thanks to … Read more “Times Saturday 26700 – April 15, 2017. See you in Ibiza?”

In the eternal football cliché, this was a game of two halves. More precisely, with a call out to Aussie Rules football, a game of four quarters! The LHS went in smoothly with 2dn the … Read more “Times Saturday 26694 – April 8, 2017. No four letter words please!”

Another Saturday on the easy side, for me at least. Perhaps I was just on the setter’s wavelength. Lots of clever clues, but few obscurities, although I’ve only ever met the gentleman in 11ac in … Read more “Times Saturday 26688 – April 1, 2017. Elegant simplicity.”

That was a delight. I expect fast times for sure, and I certainly had a new personal best. As usual some answers from the world of nature were unfamiliar, but the cluing was clear enough. … Read more “Times Saturday 26682 – March 25, 2017. A walk in the park.”

As I start this blog I still have three answers unexplained: 1ac, 11ac, and 12dn, although given the checkers I think all three answers are clear. I hope the penny drops soon. (Aha – 1ac … Read more “Times Saturday 26676 – March 18, 2017. Insights sadly lacking.”

Much easier than last week. As usual, some people, plants and birds I didn’t know, but all gettable from the wordplay. Not really any dolly deliveries, but a pleasant workout this week. I think my … Read more “Times Saturday 26670 – March 11, 2017.”

Well, that was a nightmare! The “obvious” answer to the early version of 18dn (missing the text of the actual clue, which appeared some hours later) was wrong, leaving me totally at sea in the … Read more “Times Saturday 26664 – March 4, 2017. Clueless in Crosswordland.”

Another good workout. The top half of the grid went in reasonably smoothly but then it was a slow struggle through the bottom half. I got several answers from the definition and helpers and then … Read more “Saturday Times 26646 – 11th Feb. Crosswords in the Menagerie”

Hello all – this is my first go as an official blogger. Big shoes to fill – thanks, Andy! With my fears aroused by Andy’s parting words (“this Saturday’s was a stinker – looks like … Read more “Saturday Times 26640 – 4th Feb. In at the deep end!”