Category: Daily Cryptic

No recorded time for today’s puzzle, I’m afraid, as I have been combining crossword with politics (I was happy to deputise after I realised I would be sitting up after midnight anyway, watching General election … Read more “Times 24,531”

Solving time : 15 minutes, but then some tense moments as I went to look up three answers that were kind of Hail Mary’s, one of which is unresolved. There’s some interesting stuff in here, … Read more “Times 24530: two chances to use my new word!”

Solving time: 20:40, one mistake I found this very difficult, partly from the vocabulary/knowledge required, and partly from tricky wordplay. Across 1 BUCKRAM = cloth – reversal of (MARK=spot (stain on clothing, though possibly “notice” … Read more “24529”

Solving time 25 minutes A nice enough puzzle of average difficulty with a couple of pieces of quite tricky wordplay. It contains another nod towards maths following logarithm and mantissa that have appeared recently. Three … Read more “Times 24,528 A Glimpse of Stocking”

Solving time: 30 minutes Music: Van Morrison, Astral Weeks Another two-parter. About 15 minutes for most of it, and then 15 minutes for the last three, and I didn’t make it easy for myself either. … Read more “Times 24527 – Stand and Deliver!”

Solving time: 5:28 Generally not too difficult and well-clued, with a couple of good long anagrams at 1ac and 27ac. One or two clues let the puzzle down with superfluous words spoiling the cryptic reading, … Read more “ST 4378 (Sun 25 Apr) – Triskaidekaphobia”

Solving time: 12.07 I solved the two long down clues and the linking 15A and 18A quite quickly, to find myself faced with a grid already divided into four quite separate quarters – a more … Read more “Times Crossword 24525”

This puzzle must be one with the most number of cryptic devices ranging from the easy to the exotic to the  esoteric; but all delightfully challenging, entertaining and fair. ACROSS1 ACAPULCO Ins of CA (Central … Read more “Times 24524 – What’s Up, Doc?”

Solving time: 9:12 That’s 9:12 just after midnight, so possibly a soft target for Peter beaters. There are no obscure answers in the grid, and the grid pattern is one of those “natural” grids that’s … Read more “24523”

20:47 here, so either this was fairly challenging or I am still feeling the effects of a late night travelling back from being a guest (or “ringer” as less charitable people would call it) in … Read more “Times 24,522 – Film 2010”