At the recent Sloggers and Betters event in York I had a chat with Mick Hodgkin, the Times Puzzles Editor. We talked about the lack of a Quick Cryptic Crossword on a Saturday and he explained the problem was one of space. But he asked a question, “Would people be happy if there was a Saturday Quick Cryptic which was only available online?” So what do you think? Answers as comments to this post please. [Update 23/11 : I have now emailed Mick and included a link to this post and its responses].
Author: Johninterred
Times Quick Cryptic No 2269 by Joker
We are entertained by Joker at his trickiest in today’s Quick Cryptic. Some clever cluing gave me some head-scratching. Was I just being slow or did you find it tricky too? Thank-you Joker.
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Sawbill’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find his crossword here.
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1582 – 29th October
A typically entertaining Jumbo, this one, with plenty of straightforward clues to get you going but a few chewy bits as well A little trickier than average, I thought. Thank-you setter. How did you all get on?
Monthly Club Special No 20265 – October 2022
Hello and welcome to my first Monthly Club Special blog. The MCS is a crossword that is like a Championship course in comparison to the local 9-hole Quick Cryptic I mostly blog. I do love tussling with these, though. They take me a long time but I have a lot of fun unveiling the delightfully wacky words, like 1A and 26A in this puzzle and unravelling the masterful wordplay, like 10A here. I hope you all enjoyed this too. Thank-you clever setter!
Times Quick Cryptic No 2259 by Trelawney
An enjoyable Friday QC from Trelawney today. No time recorded but I think it was about average for me. Some great clues and entertaining surfaces. I liked 8A, 9D and 18D, but COD to the clever 2D. Thank-you Trelawney! How did you all get on?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword here. Enjoy!
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Times Quick Cryptic No 2249 by Joker
Today we have a typically entertaining Quick Crossword from Joker with plenty of neat surfaces and amusing wordplay. Thank-you Joker. How did you all get on?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is my turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword, which is entitled “We’ll meet again?” here. Enjoy!
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1577 – 24th September
This one is a middle of the road Jumbo Cryptic, I think, with plenty of straightforward clues to give you some checkers and a few less common words to boost your vocabulary. I finished in 36 1/2 minutes, which is a bit faster than average for me. I liked the travelling dog, the edible wood and the not-so-busy afternoon best. Thank-you setter. How did you all like it?
Times Quick Cryptic No 2239 by Izetti
YAI! Yet Another Izetti, my third in a row. One or two tricky bits, as always with Izetti, but lots of classy clues. Thank-you Izetti! How did you all get on?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Sawbill’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find his crossword here. Enjoy!
Times Quick Cryptic No 2229 by Izetti
Today I have another Izetti to blog. A little on the hard side again, I think. Some nice clues – I liked 22A and 6D in particular, but there is one word I think is a bit obscure and a couple of other tricky bits in the SE corner. Thank-you Izetti. How did you all get on?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find his crossword here. Apologies to those who were thwarted by the bad link in the blog excerpt to the last one. You can access it via this link: Weekend QC 59.