Author: ulaca

A pleasant Monday puzzle with a minor nautical theme, lots of double definitions and anagrams, and a good excuse to listen again to the great Alan Bennett 21 29. 21 minutes. As perspicacious types will … Read more “Times 26881 – Oh, padre, have you got the time?”

If I can finish this in a smidgen above 16 minutes, then I think we may see one or two sub-4 minutes from the usual suspects, not excluding the fellow who took an extraordinary 20 … Read more “Times 26869 – PBs Beckon”

It is rare for me to say that puzzles on my watch are anything but Mondayesque – even as Tuesday continues to consider its M&A options with regard to Friday – but this offering has … Read more “Times 26857 – King Arthur, Teste David cum Sibylla?”

Another very Mondayesque offering. If Tuesday is the new Friday, then assuredly Monday is the new Monday. Or should that be old? Lots of multi-word answers here, and since my speed-solving technique (don’t titter!) is … Read more “Times 26845 – From Bach to Les Mis via Flanders”

A very Mondayesque outing this, with not much to frighten the palaminos, even if a couple of the literals (1d and 9a) were a little opaque and the cryptic definitions a little, well, cryptic definitiony. … Read more “Times 26833 – Prélude de l’après-midi d’un Python?”

I rather think they got last Friday and today’s muddled up, or maybe the editor just wanted to give the V an inkling of what it is like to strut one’s stuff when the material … Read more “Times 26821 – Quirkus Maximus”

As if the cruciverbal gods sought to wreak vengeance on those who have attempted to incite rebellion against the Order of Things, this second-day-of-the-week offering presented more difficulty than the average Monday puzzle – an … Read more “Times 26809 – There are that raise up strife and contention”

A slightly tougher than normal Monday, which I think would be borne out by the Snitchometer, if it hadn’t gone into dock for a migration-induced overhaul. I’m doing this write-up on the iPad, unusually, so … Read more “Times 26797 – Time to hang out the washing?”

This was a pleasant Mondayish sort of offering, where the main hurdle to overcome for those not possessing the needed history, spelling, memory or Cockney Rhyming Slang skills was the spelling of the old Egyptian … Read more “Times 26785 – blue, coal, crested, long-tailed or great: they’re all here”

I was going along swimmingly (not Mark Spitz, exactly – more like a middle-aged bloke with a dodgy crawl stroke) on this one until I hit a wall at the 9d/18a crossing. Now, if I … Read more “Times 26773 – Double Cross”