I found the left hand side of this an absolute beast! I got kind of caught, being out of town for a while I was only doing the online puzzles and missed that it was … Read more “Mephisto 2555 – Tim Moorey”
Author: glh
Times 24309 – surface tension
I’m filling in for Richard today, but I have just gotten access to the puzzle, so going to work on it now, and will blog soon if I can get it in one shot, or … Read more “Times 24309 – surface tension”
Times 24303 – getting wet all over again
Solving time : 27 minutes with one phone call distraction. I found this the hardest of the week so far, grinding to a halt with 9, 17, 16 and 23 unfilled. The break for a … Read more “Times 24303 – getting wet all over again”
Times 24291 – throwing a bone to the Antipodeans
Solving time : 9 minutes, I expect there’ll be some greased-lightning times, there’s not a lot obscure here and the wordplay is crystal-clear. I did have one advantage that 15 across is a song that … Read more “Times 24291 – throwing a bone to the Antipodeans”
Mephisto 2551 – Mike Laws
I usually find Mike Laws to be the most difficult of the Mephisto setters, but the shape of this grid made it a bit easier. Mike set himself no small task with a 13×11 grid … Read more “Mephisto 2551 – Mike Laws”
Times 24279: Don’t 1D 2 without a 16
Solving time : I did this in breaks during a rehearsal so didn’t get a time. It was a very slow start, particularly on the acrosses (I need to start using my Mephisto tactic and … Read more “Times 24279: Don’t 1D 2 without a 16”
Times 24267 – can you 29 28 to be a 17?
Solving time : I worked on this during breaks in a rehearsal so didn’t really get a chance to note down a time, but I found it a pretty steady solve with a few falling … Read more “Times 24267 – can you 29 28 to be a 17?”
Mephisto 2547 – Paul McKenna
I thought this was going to be on the easy side for a Mephisto with almost two-thirds of the grid going in before having to open a dictionary. But then came a few really tricky … Read more “Mephisto 2547 – Paul McKenna”
Times 24255: going round in circles twice
Solving time : 23 minutes, which is on the slow side for me, I’m not sure if this is a difficult crossword or just one of those days where I’m not on the same wavelength … Read more “Times 24255: going round in circles twice”
Times 24243 – sad songs say so coronach
Solving time : 17 minutes, so for me the hardest of the week, and it looks like one with a few deliberately thorny and trappy answers, including one device (21 down) that I’ve seen a … Read more “Times 24243 – sad songs say so coronach”