vinyl1 – Page 17 – Times for The Times

Mephisto 3282 – Yes, that’s what it is!

vinyl130th July 2023 at 1:02 AM10 September 2025Mephisto

This was quite easy for a Mephisto, and I solved it in one sitting while hardly cracking my Chambers. There were few really obscure words, at least for the hardened Mephisto solver.

Times 28663 – Up the creek without an atlas

vinyl124th July 2023 at 2:22 AM10 September 2025Daily Cryptic

I was treating this as a typical Monday puzzle, biffing my way through the grid. But at the end, I came to the NW corner, and really had to think hard, using knowledge I didn’t know I had.

Mephisto 3280 – If you didn’t do it, try it

vinyl116th July 2023 at 1:26 AM10 September 2025Mephisto

This was one of the easier Mephistos I’ve done. I definitely gained confidence when I found the first two across answers were write-ins for me, and some of the next few were also rather easy.

Times 28651 – Splendide Mendax!

vinyl110th July 2023 at 2:59 AM10 September 2025Daily Cryptic

I did most of this fairly easily, but I got stuck in the NE because of a wrong word. I also had some other answers that I had a lot of doubts about, but finally saw how they worked.

Mephisto 3278 – “Backed by our supreme authority….

vinyl12nd July 2023 at 3:29 AM10 September 2025Mephisto

I did solve this puzzle, but I would be the first to admit I don’t quite get some of the trickier cryptics. Careful research as turned up some of the parsings, but not all of them.

Times 28639 – A perennial that grows for me!

vinyl126th June 2023 at 1:52 AM10 September 2025Daily Cryptic

I thought this was a bit difficult for a Monday, and my solve ran slow, fast, slow, as the crossing letters helped speed me up until I came to the last few.

Mephisto 3276 – “When they were giving out brains, he thought they said trains….”

vinyl118th June 2023 at 5:04 AM10 September 2025Mephisto

Last week’s Mephisto was not terribly tricky, and I finished before going to bed on a Saturday night. This is the grid where you can really help your solve by getting the long ones around the edges quickly.