Category: Jumbo Cryptic

Time: About an hour and a half, the last twenty-five minutes of which were spent on the last 5 answers. So most will probably find it on the easy side, there are certainly plenty of … Read more “Jumbo 901”

Solving time: 26:40 online, but 2 mistakes – one careless spelling mistake and one misremembered phrase. Across 4 CHEW THE FAT – referring to the nursery rhyme – “Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his … Read more “Jumbo 900”

This puzzle was a cracker, one of the best ever. Almost every clue has something admirable in it. If you haven’t solved it, get it printed out and have a go – I promise you won’t … Read more “Jumbo 899 – 27th Nov 2010”

This one was fairly straightforward. Any obscure words were clued using clear wordplay. I did not record any time as I completed the crossword over a couple of sessions. There was some discussion on the Crossword … Read more “Jumbo 898”

Solved in 16:50 online but with a classic overhasty solver’s cock-up which you’ll be reading about soon. Across 1 CHAT = talk, HAM = act extravagantly – William Pitt was the First Earl of Chatham, … Read more “Jumbo 895”

This took what seemed an age to get a foothold into but, once I had, the answers came thick and fast. In the end it took 33:27 making it round about my average. After writing … Read more “Jumbo 894 – 23rd October 2010”

I always concentrate harder on the Jumbo when I need to write up a blog entry, but even so I found this very straightforward, finishing in under 15 minutes. Perhaps it was the cup of espresso I drank just before … Read more “Jumbo 893”

I solved this puzzle in a pub in Cheltenham the day before the championship, as a bit of limbering up (not that it did any good), enjoying a pint or two of 6X and the … Read more “Times Jumbo 892”

No time recorded, as I did it bits and pieces here and there. But certainly well over two hours. I was quite pleased to solve it without recourse to aids, although there were a few … Read more “Jumbo 891 – October 2nd”

I really enjoyed solving this one at the time and found it difficult to really get going. It took around 42 minutes in all which, even allowing for my final 5 minutes spent on 28d … Read more “Jumbo 889 – 18 September 2010”