Category: Jumbo Cryptic

I think this may be the most entertaining Jumbo crossword I’ve had the pleasure of blogging. Packed full of amusing and inventive wordplay and deceptive definitions, it was, I think, significantly harder than usual, taking … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1462 – 3rd October”

This puzzle kept me occupied for about 55 minutes, longer than normal so something must have been tricky.  First in was LAMB and last was DIE HARD. My square bracket keys took a right hammering … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1461 – To Saint Joseph of Arimathea, the patron saint of tinsmiths”

Hello all, from a murky and moist Surrey.  As Storm Alex blew in I realised that the last storm season has passed without reaching K, which I had been rather looking forward to. I plodded … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1460 – 19th September. Bad news …”

I liked the GK-ish aspects of this, such as 9dn, 12dn, 32dn, 37dn, 14ac, and our friend the poet of course, surely the second best Alfred among all poets. Cluing wise I liked 39ac, and … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1459: “When The Moon Is A Ghostly Galleon, Tossed Upon Cloudy Seas…””

I think this was a reasonable Jumbo, although some of the parsing was a bit of a struggle when writing this up, with 20D and 52D becoming clearer as I went through the puzzle again. … Read more “Jumbo 1458”

I found this Bank Holiday entertainment a little on the easy side finishing in under 38 minutes despite being held up for quite a while by my last 4, but it is enlivened by some … Read more “Times Bank Holiday Cryptic Jumbo 1457 – 31st August”

45 minutes.  Maybe slightly over my par time but not too tricky.  I had to check a few facts when writing up the explanations. First in was GAGSTER and last was MASS MEDIA. If any … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1456 – Charles Dickens, Joseph Heller and Bill Bryson walk into a bar”

Hi all.  A quick one from me this week.  I’ve been a busy bee, and now my brain is so scrambled that I don’t know what kind of creature I am, let alone have anything … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1455 – 22nd August”

I thought this was a superb jumbo, with all sorts of interesting words well, in some cases brilliantly clued. 7 to 9 down is a run of three of my very favourites, but 8dn wins … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1454: Douze Points”

Very, very straightforward. I did not time myself but I pretty well completed this from top left to bottom right without stopping. I think I only went back afterwards to check 21A was correct. My … Read more “Jumbo 1453”