Category: Quick Cryptic

Another gentle enough QC: all done and dusted in 6:41, about a minute quicker than yesterday, and about as quick as I get. A welcome change of pace after a couple of DNFs in the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2078 by Mara”

A bottom to top solve, in which 1ac gave me the most trouble. Definitions underlined. Across 1 Eccentric chap — Welsh (8) CAMBRIAN – CAM (eccentric) and BRIAN (chap). This was my LOI having had … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2077 by Orpheus”

An enjoyable QC – a quick solve but a challenge to hit target – 21ac took me 9 seconds over target of 10 minutes. I count that a win for Hurley! Definitions are underlined. Across … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2076 by Hurley”

This was a very gentle offering from Tracy to whom I give many thanks for making my final blog such a pleasant solve. FOI was, naturally enough, 7A. Not so naturally, its immediate neighbour 8A … Read more “QC 2075 by Tracy – Goodbye, Everybody, I’ve Got To Go…”

Straightforward with some nice touches. My favourite is 24ac with its spotless surface. 20dn is a cracker too. 7 minutes for me. Across 8 Information being published concerning property contract (7) RELEASE – RE + LEASE 9 … Read more “Quick Cryptic 2074 by Izetti”

An uncommon diagonally symmetric grid this morning from Teazel, with an unusual number of double definition clues (5 of them, all in the down clues).  I blasted through this in 11 minutes, which is at … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2073 by Teazel”

Introduction 7:09, with some tricky bits! Solutions Across 1   Avoid cold and fever? (5)CHEAT = C + HEATMaybe as in, like, ‘cheat death’? 7   In peril at disturbing snake, perhaps (9)REPTILIAN = anagram … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2072 by Joker”

Well, this one nearly went on the ‘too hard’ pile. After 8 minutes there were whole swathes of blanks in the grid. 13dn then 3dn cleared the log jam to some extent but I was … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2071 by Pedro”

Solving time: 9 minutes. I found this not entirely straightforward but still completed it 1 minute within my target 10. As is usual,  the trickier clues are balanced by easier ones, so the key thing … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 2070 by Orpheus”

We end the week of Times Quick Cryptics with one from Hurley. And what a pleasant and, dare I say, gentle end to the week it is. Nothing too tricky or obscure, I think, with … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 2069 by Hurley”