Just for the record, the club site has a new variety of cock-up today – Times2 Jumbo clues for the cryptic Jumbo, and those clues are obviously for a different grid. I thnk this combines … Read more “Jumbo 868”
Category: Jumbo Cryptic
Times Jumbo 866 (Sat 10 April 2010)
Enjoyable puzzle, which I found was on the easy side, solving time, 51 mins. Favourite clues STRAW, DREDGE, HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS, GROVELS, ETCHING * = anagram ACROSS1 MELISSA ELI in (MASS)* Good surface with RC … Read more “Times Jumbo 866 (Sat 10 April 2010)”
Jumbo 864 – 27 March 2010
Jumping Jehosaphat ! Jumbo’s Jam-packed with Js!It was also jam-packed with beautifully crafted clues. At 1:20 it took around twice as long as my average Jumbo but there were more A-ha moments than a 1980s … Read more “Jumbo 864 – 27 March 2010”
Jumbo 863
This was comparatively easy, with no outstanding clues, and one that I really felt was pretty poor (36A). It took me less than 25 minutes, but 8A did bring a smile to my face as … Read more “Jumbo 863”
Farewell, Bank Holiday Jumbos
I’ve just heard on the bush telegraph that the Bank Holiday Jumbo is no more. It seems you will not find one in tomorrow’s paper, nor any future Bank Holiday edition of The Times. Solvers … Read more “Farewell, Bank Holiday Jumbos”
Jumbo 862
The usual Jumbo rubric: as the solution is available alongside (or indeed before) the blog, comment is confined only to references that might remain obscure to overseas / inexperienced solvers even with the answer visible, … Read more “Jumbo 862”
Jumbo 861 – 6th Mar 2010 – Nothing to write home about
Solving time: Two sessions totalling about 1 hour 50 minutes, albeit with numerous interruptions. Nothing particularly stood out in this puzzle, and I found it a steady solve. I probably could have done it faster, … Read more “Jumbo 861 – 6th Mar 2010 – Nothing to write home about”
Jumbo 860
Solving time: 23:03 – just edging into difficulty, as the top and left were relatively tricky. It also took me a while to dig out the two Shakespeare quotes – my school Shakespeare included neither … Read more “Jumbo 860”
Jumbo 859 – 20 Feb 2010
A 36 minute slog with few highlights. I’m never keen on “dictionary” words, but this one had four – australopithecus, raclette, horus and imbricated – all in the top right corner. There were two others … Read more “Jumbo 859 – 20 Feb 2010”
Jumbo 858 – The Birds
I timed myself roughly for this one – aiming to be quick, and finished in under 30 minutes, so it was not too taxing. I did check two solutions afterwards, but references confirmed my entries. … Read more “Jumbo 858 – The Birds”