Category: Weekend Cryptic

It feels like the quality of Sunday puzzles has improved: this one was both harder than the run of the mill, and almost all the clues were solid. RUMBAING is a new word for me … Read more “Sunday Times 4209 – Had a ball rumbaing”

Solving time 12:37 Not too tricky for a Saturday, the anagram at 7dn was the only entry I wasn’t 100% sure of when I put it in. Should have been quicker really, but I’m always … Read more “Times Saturday 23509”

Solving time 18:38 A few foreign towns in this, but strangely enough 22ac and 16ac were the first clues I got. No one corner slowed me down, but did struggle with the last 3 or … Read more “Times Saturday 23503”

This was a lot harder for a Sunday puzzle compared to those I’ve seen since I started writing these notes. Not sure whether the clues overall were just more challenging or because a couple of … Read more “Sunday Times 4208 – Y, oh, why?”

The only thing that I wonder about is why yellow goo is lemon curd (see 14D) – is this along the lines of “yellow matter custard”? Across 5 LA-D,[a]I-DA – Verdi’s Aida is probably the … Read more “Sunday Times 4207/Yellow goo”

Solving time 24:33 I had a bit of a struggle with this puzzle, as there were a few less common words with some unfriendly unches (plus a couple of stupid mistakes slowed me down a … Read more “23497 Saturday – gristly hellcat”

Not a typo in sight and nary a bad clue. One new word that had me guessing and quite a few doubled-letters (SSx4, BB, DDx2, EE, TT, RR, LL). Across 1 D[own],RIBBLE – “River” Ribble … Read more “Sunday Times 4206/Carnauba”

Solving time 16:36 Luckily it was all literature and authors I’m familiar with, so I didn’t have to look anything up – although I did need a bit of help from PB for the explanation … Read more “Times Saturday 23491 – a very literary puzzle”

A brilliant anag &lit at 4D to end the year and a Scots celebration to usher in the new at 16D. Not a bad puzzle overall but marred yet again by a missing S in … Read more “Sunday Times 4205/Dec 31: New Years Resolution”

A Christmas Eve Sunday Jumbo – which was a bit hard to find online. Xmas eve puzzle with a Xmas-lite theme (pantos, reindeer, santa…) which even I didn’t find very hard. A couple of new … Read more “Sunday Times Jumbo 4204/still Christmas”