This one delayed me for 40 minutes and was mostly straightforward so shouldn’t cause too much difficulty for those of a delicate disposition this morning. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are … Read more “Times Cryptic 26918”
Author: jackkt
Times Quick Cryptic 990 by Noel
13 minutes for this one, slowed down a little as I was expecting Christmas references and taking my time to look for them. I found some but not necessarily all and this setter often has other … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 990 by Noel”
Times Cryptic 26912
My solving time for this was an hour, give or take a minute, but it was actually a case of DNF as I resorted to aids for the unknown plant at 11ac (1 of 5 … Read more “Times Cryptic 26912”
Times Cryptic 26906
My solving time for this one was off the scale. After an extremely slow start which resulted in my falling asleep with only one word in the grid, things gradually came together for a while … Read more “Times Cryptic 26906”
Times Quick Cryptic 980 by Joker
This one took me 10 minutes and I thought it was reasonably straightforward apart from two scientific clues, one of which borders on the unfair as it’s considered by some sources to be obsolete. I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 980 by Joker”
Times Quick Cryptic 977 by Orpheus (blog by william_j_s)
Due to a slight technical problem I am posting this on behalf of william_j_s. I’m never sure what sort of difficulty to expect from Orpheus (who has in the past set us both gentle and … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 977 by Orpheus (blog by william_j_s)”
Times Cryptic 26900
This followed a familar pattern for me in that I solved all but a handful of clues within a gnat’s whisker of my target 30 minutes but then ground to a halt and needed nearly … Read more “Times Cryptic 26900”
Times Cryptic 26894
I found this one quite hard work and needed 55 minutes to complete it, but thankfully without resort to aids as there were no difficult words or references. As usual definitions are underlined in bold … Read more “Times Cryptic 26894”
Times Quick Cryptic 970 by Mara
This one took me 2 minutes over my target 10 because I had a complete blank on my last one in, 13ac, which on reflection now seems quite inexplicable. I thought this was mostly straightforward … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 970 by Mara”
New Times Update!
For those who may not have seen this posted in the Times Crossword Club Forum. The great news is that new puzzles now print in a decent size font with light grey squares. And this … Read more “New Times Update!”