Author: rolytoly

I originally thought this was simply a quirky and original affair from Juno, so it was only with a bit of post-solution scrutiny that I found a glorious Nina hiding artfully in plain sight (hint … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2098 by Juno”

A gentle one today from Trelawney: I missed out on 8ac and 21ac with a first pass of the acrosses, but everything else went in as I saw it. Quite nice to get a taste … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2088 by Trelawney”

Another gentle enough QC: all done and dusted in 6:41, about a minute quicker than yesterday, and about as quick as I get. A welcome change of pace after a couple of DNFs in the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2078 by Mara”

One of those gratifying puzzles that has the feeling of being quite tricky but all goes in smoothly: I came in at 6.35, about a minute quicker than yesterday, helped along by getting all but … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2068 by Felix”

I found this tough, and persevered beyond 20 minutes as I thought it might be nice to actually finish a crossword this week. Alas, I threw in the towel at 23 minutes and clicked on … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2058 by Teazel”

Another Quite Challenging QC, made a bit easier if you were prepared to trust the wordplay and consider some unlikely-looking letter combinations, such as 8ac. Also made a bit easier if you’re the observant sort … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2048 by Felix”

A chewy enough puzzle from Izetti, taking me a bit over 12 minutes to get the Unlucky! sign: I failed on my LOI 7d, and even stared dutifully for another couple of minutes before clicking … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2038 by Izetti”

Two minutes at the end spent staring at 13d took me to 11 minutes, and there were a few trickier bits along the way after what initially seemed like a gentle enough puzzle. I had … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2028 by Hurley”

A stiff enough challenge today from Pedro. The grid was looking rather bare after a first pass of the acrosses, not helped by a total lack of anagrams, which often provide a foothold: I only … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2018 by Pedro”

About average difficulty today I think, although I found it trickier than yesterday’s and had to rely on a bit of biffing to arrive home at the 9 minute mark. A steady and satisfying solve, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1988 by Orpheus”