This one was pretty easy for a Mephisto, and I found little to hold me up. I actually knew most of the answers, unlike some Mephistos I have done.
Author: vinyl1
Times 29095 – In my beginning is my end…..
This did not feel like an easy Monday at first, as I struggled to get started in the grid. After five minutes, I only had a few answers here and there. But once I had a sufficient quorum of crossing letters, I started to speed up dramatically.
Mephisto 3352 – But Love has pitched his mansion in…..
This week we have a rather easy Mephisto from Robert Teuton, which is not always the case with him. There is nothing wrong with varying the level of difficulty, or mixing easy clues with difficult ones in the same puzzle. I was able to solve most of this in one sitting, but then ended up completely stuck on two of the easiest clues.
Times 29083 – Knowledge is instrumental!
I found this puzzle a bit difficult, and felt like I was working at the extremes of my skill level.
Mephisto 3350 – Small Latin, but a heck of a lot of Greek!
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.
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.