FOI 12ac, LOI 18dn. I’m assuming this was quite easy as I managed it in 6m after tottering back from a Thanksgiving repast involving plenty and I mean plenty of wine. MER at 9ac as … Read more “Times 27,833: Blue As The Gendarmerie Were The Waves Of The Sea”
Author: Verlaine
Times 27,827: Pack Up Your Troubles
I detected a touch of the Cryptic Jumbos to the cluing of this medium-strength crossword, lots of “shove x into y to make z” with surfaces erring on just the right side of intelligibility: nothing … Read more “Times 27,827: Pack Up Your Troubles”
Times 27,821: Exit, Pursued By Friday The 13th
Some challenging clues in this appropriately Friday-the-thirteenth-ish puzzle which kept me busy for a full quarter hour. FOI 6ac, LOI the simply clued but NHO 21ac. Lots of great clues but special mention to the … Read more “Times 27,821: Exit, Pursued By Friday The 13th”
Times 27, 815: Trumpowder, Biden and Plot
A good level of difficulty for a Friday, with a few bits of fun vocabulary and “advanced” wordplay peppering a grid that was mostly straightforward to parse up. FOI 11ac, LOI 2dn; having to truncate … Read more “Times 27, 815: Trumpowder, Biden and Plot”
Monthly Club Special 20,241: As Easy As 12ac?
Another great MCS with a fine smorgasbord of unusual words clued with equally rare wit and verve. I loved the devices at 26ac, 4dn, 5dn, 16dn: these puzzles are such a great breeding ground for … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,241: As Easy As 12ac?”
Times Cryptic Jumbo 1464: Hit The North
Old Trafford, Leeds, Bootle, Redditch, Scafell Pike? Stop, you’re making me homesick! A nicely crafted puzzle of only moderate difficulty but great entertainment value. I particularly liked 10dn and 28dn for general ingenuity married to … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1464: Hit The North”
15ac 17ac with Frank Bough…
…who I guess is fair game for inclusion in Times puzzles now, having passed away last week. RIP! FOI 13ac, LOI 10ac. Very hard indeed I thought, and fatigue must have set in as I … Read more “15ac 17ac with Frank Bough…”
Times 27,803: Bonkbusted
Some really good clues in this medium-strength puzzle – I liked 1dn, 2dn and 5dn, all of which withheld their shiny pennies from me for a good while, very much, for instance. But none of … Read more “Times 27,803: Bonkbusted”
Times 27,797: The Lord Giveth Letter Ms, And The Lord Taketh Away
What a great puzzle! No real hard vocabulary or obscurities, unless you’re too young for Bunter and Brer Rabbit I guess, but all the cryptic dialled up into the red zone so I at least … Read more “Times 27,797: The Lord Giveth Letter Ms, And The Lord Taketh Away”
Times 27,791: Still Not Quite A “Vintage” Blogger, Then
Happy birthday to me! According to the very helpful web app https://myk.ninja/deathlist, I have now outlived Georges Perec and Rocky Marciano, so I must be doing something right. Fortunately I was not disappointed by my … Read more “Times 27,791: Still Not Quite A “Vintage” Blogger, Then”