Author: Zabadak

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.”

17.16, so about as close as can be to an average puzzle for me. At the moment, though, I seem to be starting fast, slowing down about  a third of the way through, and speeding … Read more “26086 For those of you who don’t like sport…”

16.27 to place all the available letters in the correct order, so pretty much my average. After yesterday’s amusing diversion (I was amused, anyway) we’re back to the convention of actually having definitions for every … Read more “26074 What’s French for “raining cats and dogs”?”

I thought this was going to be a doddle, one of those where the first two across clues go straight in along with most of the intersecting ones. But somehow the time stretched out to … Read more “26062 April Fools are supposed to be completed by midday, I thought”