40 minutes, so slightly meatier than your average Monday. Since I’m reading Gargantua and Pantagruel at the moment, I was pleased to see Rabelais pop up. A couple of centuries later, across the Channel, he … Read more “Times 25611- Welcome to the world of Master John Thursday”
Author: ulaca
Times 25599 – A Hat-trick of Hard Ones
That is, counting Saturday and Sunday’s, which were both very chewy. Several unusual items of vocab in this one, and some canny cluing, took my time to 1’18”. While the NW put up the most … Read more “Times 25599 – A Hat-trick of Hard Ones”
Times 25587 – One from the Nursery Slopes
Nothing much to hold folk up here, so long as non-sporty types are sufficently clued up on their sweaty types in the scrum. I did this online at home while Typhoon Usagi petered out and … Read more “Times 25587 – One from the Nursery Slopes”
Times 25575 – Thank ‘Eaven for Leetul Pearls
Another gentle Monday offering, with quite a few going in from the literals. No standouts and no complaints. 22 minutes, but one wrong. Across 1 DISTINGUISHED – extinguished with the ex replaced by D + … Read more “Times 25575 – Thank ‘Eaven for Leetul Pearls”
Times 25569 – Not one to sort out the men from the neutrinos
Times crosswords don’t get much more straightforward than this. Indeed, I was able to rack up my third in a week under 30 minutes (including Saturday’s), so expect PBs and possibly clean sweeps from under … Read more “Times 25569 – Not one to sort out the men from the neutrinos”
Times 25551 – Not Your Average Monday
A challenging puzzle with many elegant surfaces and misleading devices. 72 minutes of hard, pleasurable but not unblemished, graft for me. Across 1 VISCOUNT – tougher to parse than to get: it’s V (as in … Read more “Times 25551 – Not Your Average Monday”
Times 25539 – A Mixed Bag
Some easy ones, some inchoate chestnuts, one obscure horse race – a farrago of a puzzle for this sunny Monday morning. 36 minutes. On edit – I’m so angry I could not only write a letter … Read more “Times 25539 – A Mixed Bag”
Times 25533 – Hail Phil!
Mickelson may not be everyone’s cup of tea but he’s one hell of a golfer. As for this puzzle, I finally got a clear run at it, only to come unstuck in the NE, where, … Read more “Times 25533 – Hail Phil!”
TIMES 25515 – Gardeners’ Answer Time
I was going along swimmingly until I was bitten, as so often before, by my bete noire, that little blighter at 19. Even those who get him right will be struggling with 20, I reckon, … Read more “TIMES 25515 – Gardeners’ Answer Time”
Times 25503 – Hail England’s Rose!
Buoyed by getting up to watch an Englishman win a Major for the first time in years, I found this nice number waiting for me at the office. With England through to the semis of … Read more “Times 25503 – Hail England’s Rose!”