Author: topicaltim

18:14 on the Club timer, held up at the end by 11ac (followed by a short break spent kicking myself) and 24dn (which I think was more understandable). With the exception of one I can’t … Read more “Times 25,636”

Something of a wake-up call after yesterday’s cakewalk; this puzzle was a proper challenge, with concise elegant surfaces, and requiring much more thought. Anyway, timed at 18:45, and with an error to boot; either my … Read more “Times 25,624”

23:37 on the club timer. Pretty tricky, this one, for me at any rate; I got off to a fast start with the easy ones, came almost to a standstill, then re-engaged brain and knocked … Read more “Times 25,612”

18:22 on the club timer. Slower than I might have been on a non-blogging day, partly because I thought this was quite ticklish, especially in the NW corner, and partly because I had trouble getting … Read more “Times 25,600”

22:40 on the club timer. Some tricky stuff here, among the more obvious elements, but a generally good and entertaining midweek solve. Across 1 COCKATRICE – COCK(=herald of dawn) A TRICE(=a second). A sort of … Read more “Times 25,588”

13:04 on the club timer. While that’s obviously not the sort of time which would make me feel lightning fast on most daily puzzles, the uncrowded leaderboard so far suggests I was definitely on the … Read more “Times 25,576”

15:56 on the club timer. The way you regard the tone of a puzzle is always a matter of personal taste, but in general I’m afraid I didn’t find today’s offering very congenial; more specifically, … Read more “Times 25,564”