Author: ulaca

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 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”

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”

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”

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!”

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”

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!”

A gentle opening to the week, with only the second of three musical clues likely to propel the little grey cells into action. 21 minutes. Last time I blogged we had several PBs – I … Read more “Times 25491 – (White) Christmas Comes Early for the Merry Widow?”

25 minutes for a gentle offering with one clue that has me flummoxed. Across 1 PLAYWRIGHT – wary* in PLIGHT to give the luvvies’ luvvie.6 IDEA – the even letters in mIdDlEmAn.10 UNHINGE – [f]UN … Read more “Times 25479”

39 minutes for this, ending with the cryptic clue at 21, which I thought was rather good. A few Britishisms to keep our Septic solvers honest, plus a bit of an operatic feel, with both … Read more “Times 25467 – Birds in the Lock-up”