Category: Daily Cryptic

Solving time : 29:59 I found this very difficult, mainly because I was slow on all the long clues. 11D took ages, and left with 15A, I decided I had to finish within 30 minutes … Read more “23,675 – tricky”

Solving time 5:58 Mostly straightforward, but included a reminder of my recent disaster with VIGESIMAL at 2D, where I waited for checking letters before putting anything in the grid. Across 1 COVEN=witches,TRY=go into (the investigative … Read more “23674 – twenty again”

Mostly straightforward but 28A,29A and 17D provided something of a sting in the tail and cost me an irksome couple of minutes. The sort of puzzle that I look at after solving and ask myself … Read more “23,673 – Mind games”

Solving time of 48:24 A slow start at the top – finished the bottom fairly quickly and then went back to fill in the gaps.I don’t know enough Shakespearean words. I also need to know … Read more “23672 – truly old-fashioned”

The easiest puzzle of the week so far. Took me only 6:23. ACROSS 1 LEFT BACK – a defender in football and a reference to the return to power of the Labour Party in 1997. … Read more “Times 23,670 – I take issue with ATISHOO”

Solving time : 10:50 Fairly striaghtforward for the most part, but I got a bit stuck at the end on 25A and 22D. For 22D I was unable to think of the courtier and worried … Read more “23,669 – semiprecious haggis”

Solving time 9:58 A slow start, with 12A the first clue solved, and a slowish finish in the NW corner. Annoying old chestnut of the day was 16D, which should have taken no time at … Read more “23668 – were you enlightened?”

Solving time 20:10 I don’t think the puzzle was a 20-minute difficulty one for me, but I solved it at 7:00 this morning and my head was still full of cobwebs. It took far too … Read more “Times 23667”

Solving time: 58:12 with one mistake Pleased to get under an hour – it felt a bit longer. I was very slow to get started, but gradually worked my way though – the SW and … Read more “23666 – fat chance”

A fairly straightforward Friday puzzle, with a couple of unusual words thrown in to make it a bit of a challenge. Took me just under ten minutes – 9:53 Across 1 UP-STICK-S 9 ANTI-GONE – … Read more “23664 – A Dickens of a puzzle”