Author: william_j_s

I had most of this done very quickly and on first pass, but couldn’t see the wood for the trees at 15dn and a handful of other clues. Eventually reflecting on an average time, I … Read more “Quick Cryptic 917 by Pedro”

A tricky quickie, with many unusual synonyms playing a role in both cryptic and definition parts of the clue. I was very slow to fill in the right hand side, and discovered two errors (!) … Read more “Quick Cryptic 907 by Teazel”

Happily completed this one with my other half. Despite not being a regular solver, she completed much of it without hesitation or complaint, and only needed my (doubtful) help to crack the SE corner. COD … Read more “Quick Cryptic 897 by Flamande”

A satisfying and entertaining solve! I was immediately stumped by 1dn, having never heard of the (dictionary says “dated”) synonym for boycott, and was helped at 5dn by the very generous definition and wordplay. Final … Read more “Quick Cryptic 887 by Joker”

Mostly smooth sailing, but I suspect one’s general interests / willingness to trust the wordplay, will play a large part in the ease of solving. Embarrassingly (for someone keen on biology), it was the butterfly, … Read more “Quick Cryptic 877 by Orpheus”

I thought this was going to be a much more light and breezy puzzle than it turned out to be. The first few clues in the NW gave the impression of a break from the … Read more “Quick Cryptic 867 by Hurley”

Our good timelord notified me that we have a new setter today, who has offered up this pleasing and gentle puzzle. Perhaps a sign that those who prefer a milder challenge are being heeded? Or … Read more “Quick Cryptic 857 by Wurm”

Solved in spare moments and blogged in a hurry, hence the later-than-usual post, so it’s even more difficult for me to judge its difficulty. I thought I was getting bored of all the anagram practice, … Read more “Quick Cryptic 847 by Pedro”

Some unusual vocabulary and phrases gave me a bit to think about here, but balanced with the clearly signposted anagrams and a couple of write-ins, culminated in an average time for me. COD to 12ac … Read more “Quick Cryptic 837 by Orpheus”

Middle of the road, difficulty wise. I enjoyed the humour in 20ac and 8dn, amongst others. I have no idea why Henry = H. Can anyone explain? Definitions underlined. Across 1 Cask she’d toppled — … Read more “Quick Cryptic 827 by Hurley”