Author: piquet

I raced through this at first, had the top half more or less done in near record time; then found myself slowing to a crawl over the SW corner, struggling with 24a, 25a and 26a … Read more “Times 27711 – Welcome to Nubicuculia, where there’s no social distancing.”

I noticed, on my online version, a subtle ‘by’ appears after the puzzle number. With no name added. Is this a prelude to puzzles having their setters identified, as on Sundays?This was another fairly straightforward … Read more “Times 27705 by – let me know where to come to, next April 30th, Mr Setter; it sounds fun.”

Another pleasant Wednesday workout, plenty of anagrams and fairly easy clues and a sprinkling of trickier ones to keep me interested. I liked 14d best. Across 1 Feast keeps old woman in compound (8) DOPAMINE … Read more “Times 27699 – something fishy here; whose fault is it?”

A somewhat more chewy puzzle this Wednesday, not impossible at all, but it took me half an hour and then a bit longer to work out how and why 25a, 3d and 17a worked having … Read more “Times 27693 – what did the Romans do for us?”

Another pleasant but not too challenging Wednesday, with four decent anagrams and lots of ‘insert this into that’ wordplay. It took me about twenty-five minutes to finish with all clues parsed. I don’t have a … Read more “Times 27687 – the dolce Vita is here.”

Another gentle Wednesday I think; pleasantly satisfying while it lasted, which was around 15 minutes before writing the blog. I managed to find a way to bang on about one of my favourite books in … Read more “Times 27681 – I’m all for good living.”

I thought this was a pleasant middle of the road puzzle, not quite as ‘vanilla’ as last Wednesday’s (which some of you thought was more Neapolitan than vanilla). There are some unusual words – a … Read more “Times 27675 – what the doctor ordered.”

Every now and again, along comes a puzzle on a Wednesday which is perfecty satisfactory, and of  medium difficulty, but about which your blogger finds it hard to construct a suitably incisive or witty commentary. … Read more “Times 27669 – nothing more to add? Just sprinkles.”

Another Wednesday with a reasonably straightforward puzzle, made easier by the grid shape with four long clues around the edges. All four went in early on, once I’d accepted that the preserve required could be … Read more “Times 27663 – no flooring me with this one.”

I enjoyed doing this one as much as any of recent times, and, unlike last week, have no axes to grind about the definitions or clueing; some fine wordplay and nothing impenetrable. 1a and 2d … Read more “Times 27657 – half an hour of pleasure and no pain.”