Author: Zabadak

My time of 28.57 suggests (to me, at any rate) that this was a tricky one, though the presence of high-scoring Scrabble letters all over the grid reduces the choices more than somewhat for those … Read more “26206 Can’t be Sven, Bjorn or Agnetha, surely?”

A pleasant little number leavened by flashes of humour – enough for a laugh out loud moment for me – which I compassed in 16.53, including time for making sure I’d got all the wordplay … Read more “26194 Full of eastern promise.”

By a considerable distance the hardest puzzle I have contended with for a very long time, taking over three qaurters of an hour. I hope that’s because the cluing is truly stretching, and not because … Read more “26188 I don’t want to go on the cart.”

First time I’ve written up one of these things by moonlight, marginally aided by a rather feeble lamp,  sitting on a balcony overlooking a picturesque corner of Crete. Might help to excuse the usual typos … Read more “26179 Of Jules Verne and Durex*”

This one seemed to get harder as it progressed towards the SE corner, and I didn’t stop the clock until 25.36 had passed. There didn’t seem to be many candidates for biffing, save for the … Read more “26158 To be taken at arm’s length”

Actually, it might be difficult to get too worked up about this mild and (mostly) inoffensive number. True, there’s one or two clues that belong in the Christmas cracker school of settng, and one answer … Read more “26146 Love it or hate it, product placement is here to stay”

A painstaking 16.12 for this likeable if not terribly demanding number, which contrives to be my second running with no “hidden” clue (other than 9d, of course – see comments below) , no soundalike clue, … Read more “26134 Having a great hair day.”

My run of moderate times continues with a 26.26 for this assemblage of all 26 letters of the alphabet. If you add the number of Es and the number of Us, it’s 26, as is … Read more “26122 Something slightly spooky”

I completed this in 21.37, stopping on the way to make sure everything was properly accounted for. My unimpeachable general knowledge, some of it remembered, will explain to those of you who know not Miss … Read more “26110 The tale of the fretful porpentine”

A rather jolly grid, this one, which I completed in 15.19. I’d like to think the setter intended the somewhat surreal pairings scattered across the grid, two of which I’ve alluded to in today’s headline. … Read more “26098 Of the Church of England in exile, and cut price warships.”