I little bit late with the blog tonight as I solved the crossword in a departure lounge in Oakland Airport, and am posting this from the other end of my flight, in lovely damp Seattle. … Read more “Red Scare, Blue State”
Author: Verlaine
Times 27,419: Time To Shag Ass
This seemed faintly straightforward compared with yesterday’s controversial number, but there were plenty of traps and speedbumps, not least the two clues where an unchecked letter needed to be changed to form a veeeeery similar … Read more “Times 27,419: Time To Shag Ass”
Monthly Club Special 20,226: A Void (Lik Th Plagu)!
As usual I feel mildly sorry for those who spurn the MCS because the vocabulary is too difficult – they are missing some of the best clues of the month, every month. As usual there … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,226: A Void (Lik Th Plagu)!”
Times 27,413: Word-Blindness
I thought this was a thoroughly superior crossword, with sublimely economical clues almost every one of which manages in a tiny space to do something fresh and witty. I enjoyed every moment of it up … Read more “Times 27,413: Word-Blindness”
Times 27,407: A Toast To The Happy Couple?
About as easy as Times 15x15s get, pace a few interesting words like 5dn and 17dn. There seems to me to be a nonzero chance that this puzzle is to celebrate a wedding, if 10ac, … Read more “Times 27,407: A Toast To The Happy Couple?”
Times Jumbo 1389: The Man From Forelock
I thought we were in good hands with this Jumbo, which was fairly chewy and really rather enjoyable – thanks setter! 50ac was quite possibly the last one in due to being an unfamiliar expression, … Read more “Times Jumbo 1389: The Man From Forelock”
Times 27,401: 16ac, Boris Johnson, Please
A fairly straightforward puzzle if you could get on its likeable and humorous wavelength. I mostly did, with a few caveats: a careless WATCHWORD as my FOI left me puzzling about how my LOI 1dn … Read more “Times 27,401: 16ac, Boris Johnson, Please”
Times 27,395: Clues Over Easy
No complaints about this very entertaining nongram (with 9ac and 16ac in there, you’d think it was going to be a pangram, but it’s missing both X and Z), which I polished off relatively quickly … Read more “Times 27,395: Clues Over Easy”
Monthly Club Special 20,225: Levi Stubbs’ Tears
Crikey, is the year half over already? This was another quality MCS displaying the usual delight in the mad, bad and dangerous to define words bulking out our dictionaries, all clued with the usual precision … Read more “Monthly Club Special 20,225: Levi Stubbs’ Tears”
Times 27,389: Snow White And The Seven No Trumps
Not the hardest of the week, coming in the wake of two excellent tough numbers, but for once I have no complaints about what was a thoroughly entertaining puzzle. An unusually large number of double … Read more “Times 27,389: Snow White And The Seven No Trumps”