Hello everybody. It felt like I had to work quite hard at this but I surprised myself by having all but a handful of entries at the hour mark. Two intersecting pairs (8a/10d and 47a/43d) caused me some head-scratching at the close though.
All in all, 71:23 of concentrated concentration but also of concentrated enjoyment. I thought this was full of good stuff and am glad I dedicated a proper sitting to it rather than grazing, as I sometimes do with Jumbos. Thanks setter!
Hi all. It’s a nice normal Monday in crosswordland. Well, that was my experience – yours may differ.
Lots of clues appealed including 9a, 11a, and even 16a. I also liked 17d, partly just because I like the word, and 19d. Thanks Trelawney!
Hi everyone. My second Teazel blog in a row, but I’m not complaining. Timewise I fared better today, taking 30s under par. After a flying start in the NW I slowed down, then finished with a long hesitation and fingers crossed over 8a. Enjoyable as ever – thanks Teazel.
Hello all. I liked this puzzle, which took me about average time (20s over). Obviously I appreciated the clues featuring cats, but really there are so many good ones here that I can’t pick out a small number for special mention. Just have a scan again through the clues to see how smoothly they read and you should see what I mean. Thanks Teazel!
Hi all. No time for this as I was on holiday, panting in the shade. It didn’t strike me as too difficult, just a few things to verify when writing up the blog. I’m in need of convincing that 23d works but found lots to enjoy including 24a, 35d and 44d. Thanks setter!
Hi everybody. Despite a good start this took me two minutes over average time, so I clearly had to think a bit.
Hello everyone. At first this Quick Cryptic seemed like it would live up to its name and I zoomed along … until I didn’t.
Hello everyone. After a good start I tired a little and had to take a break. A bit more than an hour in total, but probably technically a DNF anyway: I had a typo, but while I was searching for the mistake I tested alternate spellings for the unknown impresario at 7d, and didn’t recall whether my original arrangement of vowels had been right. There were a few NHOs in the mix, so I was happy enough with that.
I didn’t have any standout favourite clues but noted some clever anagrams and various other nice touches. Thanks setter!
Hi all. Unusually for a Monday this took me a smidge longer than average, although no particular problems to report. I liked several images conjured up by the surfaces.
Hello all. This felt a bit different to the average beast, with a few unusual devices in the mix. When writing it up I did also notice lots of cryptic definitions and double definitions (five of each at a quick count but I haven’t double-checked). I finished in under an hour but was concentrating pretty well throughout. Good fun – thanks setter!
