Author: jackkt

My time of 57 minutes was rather too slow, but it was a very enjoyable solve finished without any major problems so I’ll content myself with that and wish you all a very Happy New … Read more “Times Cryptic 27236”

Not too demanding a puzzle today, which is perhaps just as well.  Ho Ho Ho! and a Merry Christmas to one and all! As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are … Read more “Times Cryptic 27230”

I completed this in 30 minutes, only just running over my target half-hour. There were a few unknown words and meanings along the way but the wordplay was helpful, even generous at times. As usual … Read more “Times Cryptic 27224”

I needed 52 minutes for this one but I can’t really identify many particular problems. I was slow to start and took rather a long time to work out the answer at 2dn as my … Read more “Times Cryptic 27218”

I found this very hard and after nearly an hour had completed only about a third of it so I took a short break. On returning I fared much better and knocked off most of … Read more “Times Cryptic 27212”

Solving time: 55 minutes, very nearly beaten by 1ac and 2dn but just managed to hold on until the answers came. We have a couple of complicated ‘Russian doll’ or nested constructions today in the … Read more “Times Cryptic 27206”

I completed the grid in 61 minutes but this was a technical DNF as I used aids to unscramble the intersecting anagrams at 14dn and 18ac, both of which answers were  unknown to me, or long-forgotten. As … Read more “Times Cryptic 27200”