Category: Mephisto

Solving time: 26 mins, no books – 2 mistakes I’ve added a penalty minute to my previously quoted time for changing my mind about the answer to 1A. Definition quotes below are Copyright Chambers Harrap … Read more “Mephisto 2482 – Mike Laws”

Solving time: about 30m Apologies for missing the Sunday post – the 7 day turnaround for Mephistos (from solve to blog) keeps catching me out – good job I checked the calendar today! I managed … Read more “Mephisto 2480 – Tim Moorey, the setter with a bottom fetish?”

This was one of the hardest Mpehisto’s I’ve tackled in a while. The bottom half didn’t take long at all, but after a first sitting the top half was almost empty (4d was the only … Read more “Mephisto 2479 – Mike Laws”

Solving time: not taken, but completed without books. Well, nearly – I had PERANE at 29A. Across1 UNS=sun*,HIP=fruit, as in rose-hip5 STI(G)ME – stime = to peer, in Scots, and stigme = a dot used … Read more “Mephisto 2478 – Chris Feetenby”

I solved this on Tuesday, when it was still not available from the Crossword Club pages but could be found using the Search facility from the main Times website. Actually I sent in a complaint … Read more “Mephisto 2477”

Solving time: about 1hr 30m                                  Tough puzzle.  This took me 3 sittings to complete, and after sittings 1 and 2 I had gone away scratching my head over a few things – also hindered by what I … Read more “Mephisto 2476 – Mike Laws – THAT problem!”

Most of this fell rather readily, I had to check a few spellings. I like this style of Mephisto where the obscure words have fair wordplay and enough checking letters to give someone of my … Read more “Mephisto 2475 – Chris Feetenby”

Solving time – 37:44 This was probably one of Mike Laws’ easier offerings, as I normally find him the hardest of the three Mephisto setters. Across 1 TWAS – TWA (ceased operating in 2001 when … Read more “Mephisto 2473”

Apologies for the lateness of this report. This was a fairly tough Mephisto from Mike Laws, taking me about 70 minutes. Across 1 SELF – 2 meanings 10 URAL-ALTAIC – (call it aura)* – wasted … Read more “Mephisto 2470 – at last”

Solving time: 37:22                                   I usually manage to find a few things to quibble about in a Chris Feetenby puzzle, but not much in this one!  I found it a little harder than the average CF, with … Read more “Mephisto 2472 – Chris Feetenby”