Category: Quick Cryptic

Pretty sure the only talking point today will be the error at 7dn on the Times website.  Like me, you probably got the “unlucky” message, raised an eyebrow and furiously revisited each of your parsings.  … Read more “Quick Cryptic 804 by Hawthorn – What went wrong?”

An inexplicable 18 minutes again for me this morning, three minutes outside my target.  However, everything parsed nicely after yesterday’s adventures.  I really liked the long &Lit down clue, and there was plenty more to … Read more “Quick cryptic No 803 by Mara”

An interesting mix of some straightforward fare and some quite tricky stuff, I thought. Indeed, the detailed parsing of a couple of the answers left me somewhat uncertain: I have a theory regarding 9ac which … Read more “Quick Cryptic 802 by Felix”

14 minutes for this tussle with Izetti who continues our education en route to the 15×15 which, hopefully, is to be your next target. These include double bend, plural French words, subatomic particles, no less … Read more “Quick Cryptic 801 by Izetti”

Today the Quick Cryptic has reached #800 having started life on Monday 10 March 2014. These milestones always occur on my watch so I come to them half expecting a NINA in the grid or … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 800 by Hurley”

Possibly a relief for some after the last two days?  Dunno, but it took me just under 5 minutes.  I hesitate to offer an opinion on the relative ease or difficulty of the puzzle, but … Read more “Quick Cryptic 799 by Joker”

Well well, Orpheus got the better of me this week. It was Rongo last time round, where I gave up at the 15 minute mark after a blank stare at two unyielding clues. This time … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 798 by Orpheus”

Thankfully the bottom half was straightforward, as the top (and particularly the NW corner) caused a bit more head scratching. My FOI was 15ac, which conveniently alerted me to the possibility of a pangram, borne … Read more “Quick Cryptic 797 by Tracy”

Early solving of the two long clues at 3 and 8dn could produce a quick solve of the whole. This is only theoretical as I struggled with both, came in at 13 minutes and found … Read more “Quick Cryptic 796 by Alconiere”

I always find Flamande’s puzzles entertaining, even if they are rarely at the difficult end of the spectrum, and this was no exception, with an enjoyable set of surfaces and little to quibble with in … Read more “Quick Cryptic 795 by Flamande”