Category: Quick Cryptic

DNF – hopefully for technical reasons regarding 18ac. I’m sure you’ll let me know if I’m missing something… [On edit, looking at the leaderboard, it seems I’m in good company!] Otherwise a puzzle of average … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1787 by Joker”

A quick start but then things slowed down. My final gaps were the two crossers – at 6dn/12ac and 16dn/18ac where there were some unfamiliar terms. Finally completed just shy of 12 minutes – so, … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1786 by Juno”

I have noticed a minority of comments recently suggesting that I (and presumably other bloggers as well) should not describe a puzzle as easy because new people who come along and who might find it … Read more “QC 1785 by Hurley”

More tricky than average, I’d say. Took me about 8 and a half minutes. No anagrams! COD 5dn Across 1 Order ambassador to infiltrate elite (6) BEHEST – Ambassabor in crosswords is HE (his/her excellency). … Read more “Quick Cryptic 1784 by Pedro”

Well, we made it into 2021.  Let me be one of the last to wish you all a happier 2021.  Thanks to Wurm for this relatively gentle crossword, which though gentle, is quite sophisticated, and … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1783 by Wurm”

Introduction 9:47. Definitely some chewy bits here, but my kids didn’t help! There’s a bit of loose wordplay, for my tastes, but I didn’t mind. Solutions A brief summary of cryptic crosswords —feel free to … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1782 by Teazel”

I found this a little tricky and completed in just under 11 minutes. 1dn had me torn between two potential answers (only one valid) and LOI 16dn took some staring at to see an animal … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1781 by Tracy”

Solving time: 9 minutes. I think this is all accessible to newbies, but I have got that wrong many times in the past. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1780 by Breadman”

A Happy New Year to all! To usher in the new year of Quick Cryptic crosswords we have our old friend Izetti.  An entertaining puzzle with smooth surfaces as we have come to expect. One … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1779 by Izetti”

I had one of those frustrating solves – not often a fault of the setter – where you rattle through most of it before getting stuck on the last one or two clues: here I … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1778 by Orpheus”