Author: william_j_s

All the vocabulary known to me today, and the clues were easy enough to unpick, which led to a pretty quick time. I had to return to the two longish anagrams at the top and … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1377 by Oink”

I was not on the wavelength for this one, just escaping my personal red zone, although in retrospect there’s nothing really hard. Even the unusual word at 19dn was quite generously signposted (and preceded by … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1367 by Mara”

Good fun – not a total giveaway for me, as I was held up by the eternal youth and the anagram at 22ac (which for some reason would not come to mind). I was glad … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1357 by Rongo”

A fairly straightforward solve, on the whole, but with some unfamiliar bits and bobs to keep me guessing (that meaning of pet, the paint, the king). Quite a few of the definitions are neatly disguised … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1347 by Joker”

I struggled accross the line in twice my normal time, and didn’t really get to enjoy much of it unitl writing the blog. I thought the last few down clues were really good fun, for … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1337 by Marty”

Joker continues this week’s run of mid-difficulty puzzles. Nothing jumped out to start with in the NW, so my FOI was 4dn, but one clue led to another nicely after that. I was thrown off … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1327 by Joker”

A lovely little crossword from Mara, with just the right amount of whimsy, general knowledge, crosswordese, chemistry, cricket, and the rest. I had one clue to fathom after solving (7dn) as I couldn’t decide which … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1317 by Mara”

Anagrams abound, which makes for an accessible grid. And nothing really obscure either (except possibly 8ac and 4dn), so I hope to see some satisfied customers today. There are some nice, cryptic-y, sideways definitions to … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1307 by Hurley”

A new setter, and some new vocabulary for me at 16dn. I found the bottom half harder than the top, and had to think a bit to untangle some of the wordplay, but still managed … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1297 by Aureliano”

I was a bit worried that I was in for a slog today, with none of 1ac, 1dn or 6dn jumping out at me, but things soon sped up. In the end, it would probably … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1287 by Pedro”