Author: Zabadak

There’s a fair bit of religion is this one, which made it easier for me if annoyinger to others. Perhaps the most likely bone of contention is the Bible story at 14d, beloved of both … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26962, 15 February 2018 I know my transgressions.”

I sauntered through this in 21 minutes, not troubled too much by the golfing references which didn’t require me to know anything about golf, and relieved that the Latin references, of which there are several, … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26950 Thursday, 1st February 2018 Don’t Panic.”

I squeezed in (just) under 20 minutes for this one, which contains a rather useful compendium of anagram indicators and a few little bits of history to keep you on your toes. It takes a … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26938 18th January 2018 Tequila!”

No great difficulty with this one, run off in 14 and one third minutes. It’s perhaps worth commentating in the light of recent comment that the only As in this puzzle are necessary ones, apart … Read more “Thursday, 04 January 2018 Times Cryptic No 26926 ‘Twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas and…”

I rather enjoyed this one, though it took around 25 minutes, with 3d incompletely parsed but confidently entered. There was a decent helping of wit, and plenty of the kind of misdirection which didn’t make … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26914 Thursday, 21 December 2017 Not (yet) the Christmas Turkey”

A pleasant enough solve with a few clues needing revisiting just to find out how they work, in my case 24 and 19, both of which I decoded post solve. I don’t think there’s much … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26902, 7/12/2017 Thursday’s star child has far to go.”

…the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. A bit of a quirky oddity, this one, with two answers that end with the same preposition, … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26890, 23/11/17 Ladies and Gentlemen…”

Not a lot of problems with this one, with a high proportion of crossword standards and a promising, if brief, collection of US states. You are to be congratulated for dedication to duty if you … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26878, 9/11/17 Playing for keeps”

I crave your indulgence, having arrived as recently as Monday on the red eye from Jo’burg and having endured this very day appalling traffic (though travelling by coach) and the even more appalling wheelchair access … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26872 2nd Nov 2017 Quark? That’s cheese, isn’t it?”

George has kindly agreed to swop with me for the next three weeks while I and Mrs Z sample the delights of South Africa. Sometime in November we’ll get back into the routine, including one … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26848 Thursday, 05 October 2017 The poetic Simpson?”