A rather straightforward solve marred for me by an over-exuberant attempt to score a whizzy time, forgoing proper checking and allowing 2 typos. The grid is rather infested with Formicidae, or bits of them, ten … Read more “Times Cryptic 26614/7 – January 5/9, 2017. Not exactly upping the anty”
Author: Zabadak
TLS Crossword 1154 by Myrtilus – December 9, 2016 2016 Survivors Edition
Another very convincing guide to the art of writing proper crossword clues, even when you know the temptation for the solver, with the long ones, is to let the wordplay go hang. Very smooth and … Read more “TLS Crossword 1154 by Myrtilus – December 9, 2016 2016 Survivors Edition”
Times Cryptic 26602 – December 22, 2016. Ni!
Not at my most fluent, so it took 37.14. There are three words that might only ever appear in crosswords at 4ac, 20 ac and 7d, but in each case there’s pretty much generous wordplay … Read more “Times Cryptic 26602 – December 22, 2016. Ni!”
TLS Crossword 1151 by Broteas – November 18, 2016 No Macbeth, no Duncan
If you take it that 16ac is a reference to the William Walton opera based on Chaucer’s poem, there ain’t no Shakespeare in this one, making it a true rarity. It also contains something of … Read more “TLS Crossword 1151 by Broteas – November 18, 2016 No Macbeth, no Duncan”
Times Cryptic 26590 – December 8, 2016 Well, put together
A nice quick solve for me in 14.42, helped enormously by the vast majority of the clues looking like a collection of IKEA assembly instructions: insert part a into part b, attach part c to … Read more “Times Cryptic 26590 – December 8, 2016 Well, put together”
Times Cryptic 26578 – November 24, 2016 5 kilos.
Took my time on this one, finishing in 32.21, though with all of the early runners and riders being in double figures that may be quite a decent time and suggest the puzzle is on … Read more “Times Cryptic 26578 – November 24, 2016 5 kilos.”
TLS Crossword 1148 by Talos – October 28, 2016. Up to the elbow.
One of the better things to have happened this year is that the quality of cluing in the TLS has risen to considerable heights. It’s not just that they bear comparison with the Times, but … Read more “TLS Crossword 1148 by Talos – October 28, 2016. Up to the elbow.”
Times Cryptic 26566 – November 10, 2016. Here is the news.
Quite a lot of this one reads like a cryptic series of headlines on the affairs of the day, though whether that’s deliberate on the part of the setter or the imaginings of the shell-shocked … Read more “Times Cryptic 26566 – November 10, 2016. Here is the news.”
TLS Crossword 1145 — “1 Down” by Praxiteles – October 7, 2016
Right up until this point, I had not understood what the theme, “poetry” referenced and had actually already written a complaint that the poetry count was no higher than usual. While highlighting the clues, I’ve … Read more “TLS Crossword 1145 — “1 Down” by Praxiteles – October 7, 2016”
Times Cryptic 26554 – October 27, 2016. Une jolie puzzle avec many choses interestant.
25 minutes for this one, an interminable time trying and failing to parse 18dn as befits a conscientious commentator. Apart from this and others in the Cornish corner, I found this easygoing with some pleasant … Read more “Times Cryptic 26554 – October 27, 2016. Une jolie puzzle avec many choses interestant.”