Author: Verlaine

Friends, I regret to inform you that you’re going to have to end the essentially wise and benevolent reign of the tyrant Magoo yourselves tomorrow: after the York binge last weekend and a similarly raucous … Read more “Times 26,873: 1ac and 1dn inevitable, when we go 9dn in tomorrow’s 12ac?”

I’m afraid to say I’m going to skimp on my blogly duties today as I’m off to York for Sloggers and Betters tomorrow, and I’ve still got a Cryptic Jumbo to write up in time … Read more “Times 26,867: Where Angels Fear To Tread”

I had a similar experience with this puzzle to yesterdays: it seemed above averagely hard due to some original and devious cluing, but steady progress was possible and I hit stop on my timer at … Read more “Times 26,861: What’s The Naughtiest Nina You’ve Ever Found?”

I thought this was proper hard, a *real* Friday puzzle, comfortably the hardest of the week: the Snitch is broadly agreeing at this stage, though it’s still claiming that it’s close between today’s and Tuesday’s, … Read more “Times 26,855: And If One Beer Bottle, Should Accidentally Fall…”

Well, *I* remain committed to the idea that Friday should be the hardest puzzle of the week, making heavy weather of it for most of a quarter of an hour; but I see the SNITCH … Read more “Times 26,849: Hello Sailors”

A very fun and frolicsome puzzle this, bursting with guff, galumph, Lilliputian megaflops and an underwear-based clue that surely narrows down the identity of the setter to an elite group of usual smutspects. My time … Read more “Times 26,843: Caged Fury”

I was having a debate with one of the Telegraph Toughie bloggers earlier this year about how many anagrams were allowed in a single Times 15×15 – I thought it was probably 4, he was … Read more “Times 26,837: Anagram Amnesty”

That’s Job as in “tribulations of”, by the way: I should NOT have attempted to stay up and do this one at 1 a.m., after a queasy night of wine and paracetamol. But you can’t … Read more “Times 26,831: The Italian Job”