Category: Weekend Cryptic

Solving time: 54:14 I’m not sure if these puzzles have gotten harder recently, or if I’ve just got stupider, but I seem to be struggling much more than I used to. Maybe I just need … Read more “Sunday Times 4486 (20 May 2012) by Tim Moorey”

Solving time 25:05, and another real treat on a Saturday morning. There were a lot of tricky clues, with the fiendish 19ac probably the pick of them. There were a few complaints on the forum … Read more “Saturday Times 25167 (19th May)”

Solving time: 41:53 I had all but 7d, 11a & 13a done in 30 minutes, then all but 13a in about 33 or 34 minutes. But 13 continued to elude me for another five minutes … Read more “Sunday Times 4485 (13 May 2012) by Anax”

Solving time 16:15, so about average, although I was hoping for a quicker time when I got the four long answers in the first couple of minutes. However, 1ac held me up for ages as … Read more “Saturday Times 25161 (12th May)”

Solving time: 37:45 You’ll be pleased to know that the Sunday Times blog is ready for posting. Normal service has been resumed. 😉 I had one left (27a) after 30 minutes, then took another 7 … Read more “Sunday Times 4484 (6 May 2012) by Jeff Pearce”

Sorry for the delay with this – I got back later than expected and was too tired to even think about it! Anyway, solving time 19:45, although with the top half completed in about 3 … Read more “Saturday Times 25155 (5th May)”

Solving time: DNF I forgot to solve this at the time, then forgot that I forgot, only remembering when I came to post it this morning. Unfortunately, I was out last night, and am now … Read more “Sunday Times 4483 (29 Apr 2012) by Tim Moorey”

Solving time 22:22, although the last five minutes of that was spent puzzling over 15ac. I had a real “D’oh!” moment when I saw it, having convinced myself that “taking off coat” meant “remove first … Read more “Saturday Times 25149 (28th April)”

Solving time: 39:12 I’d say I found this a fairly average difficulty for one of Dean’s offerings. I had to work hard for the last half-dozen or so, but I got there without aids and … Read more “Sunday Times 4482 (22 Apr 2012) by Anax”

Solving time 29:44, which didn’t seem excessive at all for this puzzle. The difficulty came solely from the brilliantly crafted clues – smooth surfaces throughout and hardly a word wasted. Top job by the setter. … Read more “Saturday Times 25143 (21st April)”