Category: Jumbo Cryptic

Hi everyone, and welcome to Jumbo 40 squared. A multi-session solve, so no time to report, but it would have taken me over the hour I think.  Entertaining as always – thanks setter!

I found this quite easy and solved it over two sessions.

Hello again. My usual approach to jumbos is to plug away for just 20 minutes or so. If I have broken the back of it, I might try to polish it off, but more often … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1598 – 4 February 2023”

A fairly typical Jumbo, I think, with a good mix of easy clues and chewier ones. A couple of unknowns as usual, but all readily gettable from the wordplay. I liked  6D, 33D and 48D best. Thank-you setter. How did you all get on?

I needed over an hour to plough through this but looking back on the clues while writing up the blog I’m not sure what held me up.

Hi all.  No time to report as I solved over several sessions, but I was certainly not fast.  I had also, in 15a, plumped for a K where the solution demanded a C.  Not being familiar with the word I simply assumed that I had made a wrong guess, but later discovered that my answer is a valid spelling.  I won’t get my knikcers in a twist over it though. I enjoyed it all very much while solving. Thanks setter!

I found this easy apart from the unknown word at 26dn and the obscure person named at 49ac

Hello again. This Jumbo I thought was slightly easier than average, though I did have to watch my spelling once or twice. However it had some of the best clues I’ve seen in a jumbo, … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1593 – 1 January 2023”

This was the gentlest of Jumbos among the herd to be found at this time of year. I don’t keep a record of my Jumbo times, but this may have been my quickest ever. Thank-you setter.

I thought this was pretty straightforward for a holiday season puzzle, breezing through in one session in under 40 minutes.