Author: Curarist

So I came in slightly over target at 6 and a bit minutes. It’s got a whole bunch of crossword staples that you either know or you don’t, (LING, IDE, ELL) which makes me think … Read more “Quick Cryptic 2014 by Izetti”

I rattled through this in about 4 minutes, but it contains a lot of crossword staples that less experienced solvers might not be so familiar with. There’s at least one whole clue that I’ve seen … Read more “Quick Cryptic 2004 by Oink”

I enjoyed this. I wondered if we were in for a Nina with all the mercy and charity going on. Largely straighforward, but I couldn’t see 1dn for some reason. I suppose ‘scum’ for ‘film’ … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1994 by Felix”

Sorry – bit late this morning but thankfully a gentle offering from Wurm which took me about 5 minutes. I did quite a lot of biffing. I stared longest at 22a, which was my LOI. … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1984 by Wurm”

Fairly straightforward offering from Hurley today, with what seems like an inordinate number of double definitions, as well as a quadruple which is a very rare bird. 6 minutes for me, favourite clue has to … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1974 by Hurley”

Well, well. Looks like we have another Dickens Nina. Barnaby Rudge is not a book I’m particularly familiar with, but a quick consultation with Professor Wikipedia yields GORDON, CHESTER, MAYPOLE, DOLLY VARDEN, GRIP… any more? Some … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1964 by Felix”

I enjoyed this one. I’ve given up pronouncing on difficulty because I always seem to have the opposite view to the rest of you. Nothing unfair in the wordplay, though perhaps a slightly dodgy anagrind* … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1954 by Teazel”

Grateful for a straightforward one as I am feeling ever-so-slightly fragile this morning. Interesting solve, with any tricky wordplay generally compensated by biffability, e.g. 7dn which I didn’t parse until afterwards, and some nice anagrams. … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1944 by Pedro”

I reckon some will find this a bit of a challenge. The NW corner is the hardest part, which makes it difficult to get going and tends to put you on the back foot for the … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1934 by Teazel”

Given the profusion of anagrams and double definitions, I’m guessing this will be straightforward for most. It felt a bit samey, though I did like 17ac and 2d. 5 minutes for me. Across 1 Wicked … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1924 by Mara”