Well, John Grimshaw is back, but in a tamed version. I was able to solve this puzzle, and parse every answer, but it was not exactly a pushover. I would say this is exactly the right level of difficulty that most Mephisto solvers would find enjoyable.
Author: vinyl1
Times 29071 – Just as the Tide was a-Flowing
This was a mixed bag. There were quite a few write-ins and chestnuts, yes, but some of the answers kept me guessing.
Mephisto 3348 – No Agony, it Fits!
After a difficult week, we are back to normal. I solved this one in a single two-hour session, and only had to check something in Chambers a few times.
Times 29059 – A Comedy of Errors
I will admit I thoroughly messed up this puzzle. I couldn’t read my own handwriting, put the word separators in the wrong place, misidentified the literal, etc, etc. At the same time, I realized this was a high quality puzzle with a lot of novel wordplay.
Mephisto 3346 – What to do with the bourgeoisie?
This Mephisto was pretty straightforward, and I managed to finish it in one sitting on a Saturday night. Most of the vocabulary was at least somewhat familiar, and I was able to write in a number of answers confidently without cracking Chambers.
Times 29047 – No, not that Ninja Turtle!
Yes, a bit of a shocker. It seems like there are more solvers with errors than usual, so it is very important to carefully follow the cryptics. I suspect this puzzle will have a NHO for nearly every solver, but it should be possible to come up with an all-correct grid if you are careful.
Mephisto 3344 – Yes, about that fish you mentioned…..
This Mephisto did take a while. I was off to a good start on Saturday night, but then didn’t come back until Tuesday, when many of the answers suddenly became obvious.
Times 29035 – Department of tricky literals
Yes, the cryptics were not too bad, but the literals could be something else. I had to put on my Mephisto hat to finish this one, but since this is not Mephisto I couldn’t use Chambers to confirm my guesses. Solvers will either love this puzzle or hate it.
Mephisto 3342 – Time for some shopping?
Welcome, barred-grid fans. This one was a bit easier than usual, with many fairly common words in the answers. I finished in one sitting, taking a little more than an hour.
Times 29023 – Take it easy, either way…
Another easy Monday, although the preponderance of longish answers provided some challenges, along with some interesting words.