Author: william_j_s

Thankfully the bottom half was straightforward, as the top (and particularly the NW corner) caused a bit more head scratching. My FOI was 15ac, which conveniently alerted me to the possibility of a pangram, borne … Read more “Quick Cryptic 797 by Tracy”

Just the harder side of average, for me, with a couple of nudges that I now regard as chestnuts (it certainly does get easier!). I refer to ‘I = one’, ‘C = cold’, and ‘mostly … Read more “Quick Cryptic 787 by Joker”

A very enjoyable scramble to the finishing line, which took just a bit longer than usual. I had to leave many unfilled squares along the way, especially on the left of the grid and including … Read more “Quick Cryptic 777 by Hurley”

Mine was a fairly uninspiring performance in solving what was a light and breezy puzzle. Nothing in particular held me up, just not in the groove, I suspect. I had to wait until blogging to … Read more “Quick Cryptic 767 by Mara”

A true quickie today, but not chock-full of double definitions, so still satisfying. I’m a little unfamiliar with 17ac; presumably the clue is referring to one who stares into space? And it took me a … Read more “Quick Cryptic 757 by Joker”

I would certainly have found this much harder were it not for the plentitude of double definitions, multi-word answers and anagrams (look out for the unusual indicator at 8dn) that helped me get a start … Read more “Quick Cryptic 747 by Mara”

Continuing the business as usual theme today, with a pleasantly gentle puzzle solved pretty much top to bottom. Lots of longer and multi-word answers certainly helped to fill the grid, and there is an abundance … Read more “Quick Cryptic 737 by Tracy”

I had fun solving this one, which was just right for me in terms of difficulty. I liked the less direct definitions of 23ac and 5dn, and I’m glad I took the time to parse … Read more “Quick Cryptic 727 by Mara”

A straightforward puzzle. I was not entirely familiar with 9ac or 20ac, but both came into consciousness readily enough. Very neat clue at 4dn, which raised a smile. Thanks Hurley (and our resident Time Lord). … Read more “Quick Cryptic 717 by Hurley”

A grid full of perfectly everyday words, hidden behind Izetti’s trademark smooth clueing. Whether owing to mood or wavelength, I did not find it dropping into place fluently, though, and I still have one answer … Read more “Quick Cryptic 707 by Izetti”