Category: Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 9 minutes. A pleasant puzzle by Hurley with no great surprises. I wondered if there might be something to celebrate the 1900 milestone but I haven’t been able to find anything. As usual … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1900 by Hurley”

Oh dear. I came a bit of a cropper with this one, getting stuck on my last clue (1A) and having to resort to a wordfinder to finish. I can’t remember the last time I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1899 by Orpheus”

A touch under 11 minutes, around a minute longer than yesterday’s, so tricky enough and it took a while to get going properly. A top-notch puzzle, with lovely surfaces and satisfying misdirection throughout. A few … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1898 by Wurm”

A bit of slang I didn’t know (5dn), but this didn’t really hold me up. Otherwise, staple fare finished comfortably within target. After a second look, I thought there might have been something fishy going … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1897 by Joker”

Short of time again today. Sorry for the minimal blog – and I’ve probably made tols of misteaks! Went just over 10 minutes – unnecessarily held up by 1d but then struggled to finish in … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1896 by Jalna”

OK please move on everybody. Nothing to see here. Thanks to Teazel, my oldest adversary I believe, for a gentle Monday-morning stroll. FOI was 1A. A lot of clues went in sequentially after that, with … Read more “QC 1895 by Teazel”

So after a run of tricky ones, I think this will come a bit of welcome relief, being a romp for the most part. That said, I couldn’t get started in the usual place, and … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1894 by Pedro”

Well, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that this puzzle will cause some problems, and not just for the SCC.  Others more experienced will recognise the setter’s name and be looking for … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1893 by Alfie”

Introduction DNF, on account of 16 Down. Solutions A brief summary of cryptic crosswords —feel free to skip— : Each clue has at least one “definition”: an unbroken string of words which more-or-less straightforwardly indicates the … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1892 by Hurley”

I saw the setter’s name and settled down for a patient solve rather than my normal QC romp attempt. This was rewarded by the enjoyment of some mental gymnastics and deceptions. I took over 12 … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1891 by Izetti”