Category: Weekend Cryptic

Well none of you seems to have noticed that this didn’t get posted in a timely manner on Saturday – it’s like nobody cares very much or something, sob! A shame really as this was … Read more “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1309 (Saturday, 17 February 2018): Something For The Weekend… Ish”

20:59. I seem to have found this quite tricky, but I can’t remember anything about the solve. I’ve had a ridiculously busy week and didn’t get a chance to do the blog until last night … Read more “Sunday Times 4786 by David McLean – what’s the story 12dn?”

I did this in bits and pieces in the middle of other activities, so I can’t give a time or a difficulty rating. All I can say is it came together in the end. My … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26964 – Saturday, 17 February 2018. No style points for the blogger.”

Not too tricky by Dean’s exacting standards, and with some lovely stuff. Several generously clued cryptics (9a, 11a, 20a and 12d) enabled me to fill in quite a few squares on a first quick skim … Read more “Sunday Times 4785 by Dean Mayer – ‘armless fun”

For me this puzzle was hard to start, but once I had a foothold it flowed fairly smoothly. Once I saw 1dn, the NW corner gave up its secrets easily. Hardest was probably the long … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26958 – Saturday, 10 February 2018. Once begun, half done.”

14:26. Nothing terribly difficult this week, but there were a few unfamiliar words and phrases to slow me down a little. Quite a lot of unfamiliar words actually, making for an interesting puzzle, but there … Read more “Sunday Times 4784 by Jeff Pearce – Schrödinger’s artichoke”

After the mystery clues of the previous Saturday, this was a straightforward solve. I took a wild stab at the botany clue, and took the setter at his word for the geography clue, but everything … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26952 – Saturday, 03 February 2018. Normal service has now resumed.”

I thought this was good fun and not too tricky – thoroughly enjoyed it. Some nice laconic touches, particularly with the second rate crossword at 9ac and the happy tale of Lucky Les at 13ac. … Read more “Sunday Times 4783 by David McLean”

Well, that was hard. After about two and a half times as long as last week, I finally felt reasonably sure I knew all the answers, but now as I submit the blog five days … Read more “Times Cryptic No 26946 – Saturday, 27 January 2018. Everything old is new again.”

25:30. I will be brief today because I have been struck down very suddenly by some sort of lurgi. I’m just glad I did most of this blog earlier in the week. I don’t really … Read more “Sunday Times 4782 by Dean Mayer”