Author: yfyap

The remarkable thing about today’s puzzle is the sheer elegance of the clueing with marvellous surface reading. Many clues have been cleverly crafted to arrive at a sensible surface reading that epitomise the best in … Read more “Times 24500 – Smooth as Silk”

What a fun puzzle to blog. This compiler has a very creative approach to the definitions. Some are very original and most of them are woven so smoothly and unobtrusively into the surface reading. Very … Read more “Times 24488 – A Real Smoothie”

I found today’s puzzle such a pleasure to solve and do research for. There are some lovely and smooth surfaces and some of the devices employed are quite inventive and entertaining.  ACROSS1 ARMAGEDDON Armagh (Ulster … Read more “Times 24476 – Blogger’s Delight”

I like it when the first across clue in a puzzle is so solveable as this gives the first letters of so many down clues. So it was today and I quickly breezed through the … Read more “Times 24,464 – First Cut Is The Deepest”

What a good miss! If yesterday’s puzzle were published today, I would be in trouble. Yes, kororareka, I do sympathise as I took nearly an hour to complete. Fortunately the yoyo does swing back and … Read more “Times 24452 – Perfect & Exquisite”

Since being assigned to this fortnightly duty, I find waking up on alternate Thursdays a pleasant experience as I look forward to solving and blogging. Thank you, Peter B. Today’s puzzle was surprising easy and … Read more “Times 24,440 – Garnishing on a well-cooked dish”

A very do-able puzzle for a Thursday, compared to the last few when I was scheduled to blog. There were, however, a few new words for which my Chambers became extremely useful. Challenging in parts … Read more “Times 24428 – Fun In Acapulco”

dd = double definitioncd = cryptic definitionrev = reversed or reversalins = insertioncha = charadeha = hidden answer*(fodder) = anagram I stared dazed for five full minutes until I saw the two biggie down clues … Read more “Times 24417 – Hamlet Finished Me”

dd = double definitioncd = cryptic definitionrev = reversed or reversalins = insertioncha = charadeha = hidden answer*(fodder) = anagram I am glad to be given a regular fortnightly spot in these blogs. Of all … Read more “Times 24405 – Yummy with a piquant touch”

dd = double definitioncd = cryptic definitionrev = reversed or reversalins = insertioncha = charadeha = hidden answer*(fodder) = anagram In this, the third and last of my locum duty for Peter B, I sped … Read more “Times 24374 – Unexplained Dark Ages”