Author: william_j_s

Happy New Year to all – I hope that 2020 brings you many PDMs and fast times. I found this tougher than average, and it took me a long while to get going. We seem … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1517 by Howzat”

This might prove dispiriting for those on the K-scale – it’s going to be difficult to keep up, I think! Trelawney has typically been a welcome respite from obscurities and tortuous wordplay, and while no … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1507 by Trelawney”

I finished this in an average time, but only by leaving some of the clues unparsed until the end. There are some lovely neat clues amongst a few rather clunky ones, and my COD goes … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1497 by Pedro”

Not easy for me, resorting to the downs to get anywhere, and ending up with my worst time in a while. I thought that all four long answers were difficult to get, despite seeing how … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1487 by Pedro”

Sluggish to get off the ground, but completed in an average time. I was slowed down by clues that ended up seeming rather simple in hindsight; so touché setter. I’m left wondering about ‘you’ in … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1477 by Mara”

Nothing too scary here. Plenty of footholds and generous clueing meant I was only held up at the very end by 17ac, which I did not know and took ages to switch gears from the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1467 by Oink”

Well… I made a complete hash of this – very much hope you did better. After my average completion time, I had only 5 answers, and not so much as an inkling about how any … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1457 by Izetti”

A toughie from Teazel, which kept me occupied for almost twice as long as usual. About half went in without much trouble, but scattered all over the grid, and the rest took a bit of … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1447 by Teazel”

Apologies for the terse blog – not much time for pursuits recently with changes at work and an increasingly complex house renovation… This was a fine puzzle – thanks Oran – a little on the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1437 by Oran”

Slowed down by the SE corner and a couple of words less familiar to me, but otherwise a normal day at the office. Definitions underlined. Across 1 Bother after company curtailed lord in US State … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1427 by Hurley”