Category: Quick Cryptic

A gentle one today from Trelawney: I missed out on 8ac and 21ac with a first pass of the acrosses, but everything else went in as I saw it. Quite nice to get a taste … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2088 by Trelawney”

Not as rare as hen’s teeth, these days, Alconiere strikes again. Thanks to jackkt for the heads-up regarding this setter’s habit of including a Nina – I wouldn’t have spotted it (have I though?) without … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2087 by Alconiere”

8 minutes for this pleasurable solve. I worked steadily from top to bottom finishing with 13dn. How did you get on? Across 1 Golf club: Irish one, not English (4) IRON – Irish (IR), one … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2086 by Tracy”

Hi all.  I’m happy to join you here, taking on the blogging slot vacated by Astartedon. This puzzle took me bang in the middle of my usual time range (the clock stopped at 7:31) so … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2085 by Teazel”

For some reason I absolutely tore through this in 4 minutes, which is my quickest time in ages. Everything is pretty familiar, to an experienced solver at least. The only one that gave me pause … Read more “Quick Cryptic 2084 by Orpheus”

I think this was a classic Quick Cryptic; nothing too obtuse, nothing too difficult, simple devices clearly indicated.  It still took me 13 minutes, and probably should have been quicker, but I took a moment … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2083 by Hurley”

Introduction 10:31, a slowdown after a string of faster times. It feels good to roll up the sleeves. Some nice tricky stuff in here — I enjoy being fooled by Joker. Commentary below. Solutions Across … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2082 by Joker”

Very zippy indeed today, charging home in 5:43. Didn’t get 1ac at first go so started with 4ac 6ac and worked quickly down the left and up the right finishing with 1ac and then 5dn. … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2081 by Izetti (Izippi!)”

Solving time: 12 minutes, missing my target by 2. I found this tough getting started and there were a few tricky things along the way. With J and Z appearing early I was half-expecting a … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2080 by Breadman”

Now here’s a rarity – a Quick Crossword from the setter Alconiere, only his 11th, although he started in 2014, and his first since this one in May 2019. That crossword had a Nina so … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2079 by Alconiere”