Hello everyone. Thanks to Jalna for a puzzle which I found lots of fun and thought perfectly pitched for the slot.
Time after time, I don’t have a clear favourite to mention here, but this time I do: 17d. I also liked the gift of frilly clothing in 14a. Neither of these clues have misleading definitions, but both have delightful wordplay.
Hi everybody. This didn’t seem hard at first, but proved to have some hidden teeth.
Hi all. Many thanks to Jackkt for covering for me while I was away.
Hello all. When possible I like to keep the setter’s identity a mystery until after solving, so I come to the puzzle without preconceptions and can guess and then check who was responsible. Today’s setter not only gave himself away courtesy of a couple of religious references, but also signed the puzzle at 11a. All good fun, for which thanks to Izetti.
Hello everyone. I hope that you have been managing to stay cool. I’ve just noticed that my last Jumbo blog was written in the last heatwave, which wasn’t as bad as this one has been. I fervently hope that in five weeks’ time I won’t be saying the same thing!
Again, no time for this as I solved when it was still far too hot and took my time over a few sessions. I didn’t have too many difficulties, but did have to trust to the wordplay in places. It’s satisfying when you can do that but still have reasonable confidence in your answers. Thanks setter!
Hi everybody. Teazel puzzles seem to invariably* hit my expected solving time, and just to fit my expectations of a Quick Cryptic generally. 15d is my pick of the clues (despite being a little deprived of snooze due to the current heatwave), but I expect a range of different favourites today. Thanks Teazel!
Hi all. I liked this offering from Hurley. There’s nothing wrong with the across clues (unless you wish to throw your dictionary at 11a in protest) but my picks today are all in the downs. The breakdown of 2d may be common enough but I thought the execution, with the twist in the tail, was deftly done. I almost always lap up a reverse clue, so 3d made me happy, and I also appreciated the Uxbridge English Dictionary nature of 12d. Thanks Hurley!
Hi everyone. I didn’t record a time for this as it was a very leisurely solve on holiday, but it felt gentle. Lots to like though and, going through it again for the blog, I was impressed by the high quality. Thanks setter!
Warm greetings from sunny Dorset, where I am staying with my friend Willow the cat and his humans.
I enjoyed this one, from the neat 1a to the smooth 19d. Lately I seem to fare better than usual with puzzles ending in 5: perhaps blogging focusses my mind. Therefore, I will just leave it to you all to report back on how you found it. Thanks Jalna!
Hi all. Tracy is a setter who can be relied upon to produce entertaining and perfectly sound easier-end puzzles. If I say that there is nothing to complain about and that the clues read smoothly it might sound like damning with faint praise. But, rest assured, I am praising.
