Solving time : 40 minutes I struggled at times with this and then found it difficult to decide which clues to omit from the blog – always a sign of a good puzzle. There are … Read more “Times 24,050 Trench Warfare”
Author: dorsetjimbo
Times 24038 Garrulous Gyrfalcons
Solving time : 40 minutes I struggled with this at times and never felt I was really on the setter’s wavelength. I was put off right at the start by 1A, a clue I didn’t … Read more “Times 24038 Garrulous Gyrfalcons”
Mephisto 2509 Mike Laws
This is a relatively easy puzzle with both simple constructions and key clues that can be solved direct from the definition. This is true of 1A,10A and 11A, giving an excellent start to the NW … Read more “Mephisto 2509 Mike Laws”
Times 24,026 An Eiffel Bloomer
Solving time : 20 minutes A very easy puzzle with lots of chopping off of bits of words, rearranging letters within words and extensive use of slang. Quite a range of historical figures from Alban … Read more “Times 24,026 An Eiffel Bloomer”
Times 24014 The Glossy Omath
Solving time : 50 minutes including some fruitless research to try to explain 2 down I thought this a difficult puzzle which I had to work hard at, often reverse engineering the word play from … Read more “Times 24014 The Glossy Omath”
Mephisto 2505 Paul McKenna
This is an excellent puzzle, difficult but always scrupulously fair. At times it reminded me of the Ximenes puzzles of the 1960s. 28D is for example a clue that I think X would have been … Read more “Mephisto 2505 Paul McKenna”
Mephisto 2504 Tim Moorey
I’m standing in for Robert A straightforward puzzle with a couple of excellent clues at 17A and 5D. There is one 31A that I’m not sure of as I can’t equate “game” to old coins. … Read more “Mephisto 2504 Tim Moorey”
Times 24,002 A Brief Encounter
Solving time : 25 minutes I enjoyed this puzzle, which wasn’t difficult but had some nice clues. I particularly like ADAPTOR at 23A. PECK at 26A may give some problems since not everybody had to … Read more “Times 24,002 A Brief Encounter”
Times 23,990 Le Mur du Louvre Mate
Solving time : 45 minutes I may be having an off day but I found this a difficult puzzle with a lot of intricate wordplay and a good deal of slang. It was difficult to … Read more “Times 23,990 Le Mur du Louvre Mate”
Mephisto 2501 Tim Moorey
A very pleasant puzzle with a mixture of nice clues and good starter clues. A number of the starter clues needed a reference to Chambers to verify an easily derived word, such as EGESTA at … Read more “Mephisto 2501 Tim Moorey”