Author: Verlaine

Guys, guys, we may have to stop high-fiving one another about how we’ve proved (with SCIENCE) that Friday puzzles are definitely harder than the rest of the week: I think our esteemed editor is fighting … Read more “Times 26,825: Putting The “Lite” Back Into The TLS”

Hello from sunny Scotland – I actually have to get up and pack very early tomorrow to catch a train from Kilmarnock to Edinburgh, so you’ll get the shortest possible blog and like it. This … Read more “Times 26,819: Trains, Planes & Automobiles”

I found this puzzle a bit of a curate’s crustacean – I very much enjoyed its quirkiness during the solve, but I don’t think it was the hardest of the week, taking me a midrange … Read more “Times 26,813: And A Fried Egg On Top And Spam”

I solved this puzzle feeling somewhat under duress last night, in the wee small hours after a convivial evening, and while my run of sub-10-minute times has not been shattered, the relative straightforwardness of the … Read more “Times 26,807: Art For Art’s Sake”

I don’t think this puzzle was quite as tricksy as yesterday’s number (I haven’t checked the Club leaderboard for confirmation yet though), but thanks to a few clever clues it ended up taking me approximately … Read more “Times 26,801: Keep Calm And Carry On”

Hello from New York! As a bit of fun this week, and because the changes to the Crossword Club mean that none of us know whether we’re coming or going anyway, I did this puzzle … Read more “Times 26,795: Bar Flies”

It is a sick and chastened verlaine that blogs for you this morning: having most uncharacteristically severely overdone it at a party in Nottingham last weekend, I’ve been off colour all week, and with it … Read more “Times 26,789: The Wizard of Menlo Park”

This meticulously clued seems to have been fully worthy of its Friday slot – 8 hours in only 5 results have been under the 20 minute mark (almost 14 for me) and the Crossword SNITCH … Read more “Times 26,783: My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels”

Less hard than yesterday’s puzzle by the looks of things (has everyone else become as obsessed with Starstruck’s Crossword SNITCH app as I have?) but this definitely contained a few speed bumps to stymie a … Read more “Times 26,777: Per me si va nella cruciverba dolente”