Author: william_j_s

LOI and COD to 1ac, which made for a slow start but a satisfying penny-drop moment at the end. I also had a chuckle at 4dn. I wonder if our international friends are familiar with … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1917 by Wurm”

Mid-difficulty for me. The biggest challenges were the two 11-letter answers in the middle of the grid, so much so that I ended up working around them until the very end of the solve. Lots … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1907 by Mara”

A bit of slang I didn’t know (5dn), but this didn’t really hold me up. Otherwise, staple fare finished comfortably within target. After a second look, I thought there might have been something fishy going … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1897 by Joker”

I seemed to be on the wavelength with this one. Not a total write-in, as several clues needed returning to for a second go, but on the gentle end of the spectrum. Definition underlined. Across … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1887 by Mara”

Crack(l)ing puzzle, as we’ve come to expect from this – my favourite – setter. Only the SW corner proved a little reluctant, as well as the long 4dn (cryptic definitions are *still* my Achilles’ heel). … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1877 by Oink”

Lovely. This puzzle seemed effortlessly cryptic, with nothing too obvious or obtuse. I didn’t get 1ac straight away, but did manage 1dn and built from there. Although there were a couple of clues where I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1867 by Hurley”

I had a feeling I’d get hung up at the end, which turned out to be the case, because each clue seemed to hold out until the moment before I moved on to the next. … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1857 by Hurley”

I had a pretty hard time with this – hopefully it’s just me. Couldn’t see what was going on at 1ac (my LOI), NHO 5ac or 15dn, and thrown by the Guardian-esque 2dn. There are … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1847 by Orpheus”

A similar story to yesterday, for me, in which most of the answers flew in before I got stuck on some head-scratchers. I thought 15dn was brilliant – it had me almost panicking when I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1837 by Wurm”

I failed to see 1ac on first pass (the topic not being my strongest subject) so this was a bottom up solve for me. A little over average time, possibly owing to the above, but … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1827 by Jalna”