Author: Guy du Sable

I hardly ever start with the first clue on these but rather approach them strategically. My virtual FOI (though I happened to see ANI first) was the one long one right down the middle. After … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4925 by Dean Mayer — Boffo socko performance!”

I worked this while watching the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, and as my eye casually swept over the new clues, I first saw LENTO, which I should have taken as a watchword. Right … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4923 by Robert Price — Not so fast!”

There was nothing 11 (down) about any of the clues here—indeed, this may be the easiest offering from Harry that I’ve blogged. However, I was spooked by seeing the first word in the first clue: … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4921 by David McLean — Oh honest brain disorder it’s not”

My LOI was 13 down, as I needed all the checkers… and then some. I hope and trust others will find the definition less elusive. It had to be some kind of -ISM, so what … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4919 by Dean Mayer — Chef’s surprise”

…leading horses nick vehicle… Some firm and full “lift and separate” (and even squeeze back together) clues here. I learned a Scottish word I’m not likely to forget, as well as what “SS” in nautical … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4917 by Robert Price — divine language, classic novel”

You know I will TAKE ISSUE with any ILL-CONSIDERED political comments that I see or hallucinate. Worked on paper, and my copy is all marked up—but I like to doodle. The only unknown was the … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4915 by David McLean — IRANIAN NUKES ASIDE…”

I’ve never read the Leonard Cohen novel that shares its name with this entry. (There, the title refers to a non-solitary activity. Sigh)This was quite an enjoyable romp, and I became acquainted with a new … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4913 by Dean Mayer — The Favorite Game”

Nothing very exotic here, though I wasn’t sure when working this that I’d ever seen, let alone eaten, a DRUPE (turns out this is a kind of fruit, not a specific variety). Some of the … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic No 4911 by Robert Price — DIVERSIONARY tactics”

This was an enjoyable way to pass a little time, though certainly not one of this setter’s most challenging. My biggest difficulty when I worked it last Saturday night was occasioned by an Internet outage … Read more “Sunday Times 4909, by David McLean — We are amused”

Take a deep breath… it’s really a BREEZE! For some reason, this puzzle seemed a lot harder at first (I didn’t even see the hidden word—what else could it have been?!) than it turned out … Read more “Sunday Times 4907, by Dean Mayer — Going Up ’T Country”