Category: Weekend Cryptic

In the eternal football cliché, this was a game of two halves. More precisely, with a call out to Aussie Rules football, a game of four quarters! The LHS went in smoothly with 2dn the … Read more “Times Saturday 26694 – April 8, 2017. No four letter words please!”

8:09. Judging by other times on the leaderboard, it seems I was very much on the wavelength for this puzzle. It was a quick solve for one of Dean’s puzzles, but I thought it was … Read more “Sunday Times 4740 by Dean Mayer – First Lady of Song meets King of Pop”

Another Saturday on the easy side, for me at least. Perhaps I was just on the setter’s wavelength. Lots of clever clues, but few obscurities, although I’ve only ever met the gentleman in 11ac in … Read more “Times Saturday 26688 – April 1, 2017. Elegant simplicity.”

I managed to romp through the first three quarters or so of this puzzle without too many alarums and excursions, but was then left with a handful of clues that put up stout resistance and … Read more “Sunday Times 4739 by Jeff Pearce”

That was a delight. I expect fast times for sure, and I certainly had a new personal best. As usual some answers from the world of nature were unfamiliar, but the cluing was clear enough. … Read more “Times Saturday 26682 – March 25, 2017. A walk in the park.”

17:08. I made slightly heavy weather of this one, putting GO OFF ON A TANGENT at 8dn and then not reconsidering it for far too long. This made 17ac difficult. I eventually sorted that out … Read more “Sunday Times 4738 by David McLean – irreverence tempered by competence”

As I start this blog I still have three answers unexplained: 1ac, 11ac, and 12dn, although given the checkers I think all three answers are clear. I hope the penny drops soon. (Aha – 1ac … Read more “Times Saturday 26676 – March 18, 2017. Insights sadly lacking.”

Another very fine puzzle from Dean, with the trademark concise clueing and some enjoyable splashes of wit. For me this was quite a tussle which I undertook on the train back from Manchester to London, … Read more “Sunday Times 4737 by Dean Mayer”

Much easier than last week. As usual, some people, plants and birds I didn’t know, but all gettable from the wordplay. Not really any dolly deliveries, but a pleasant workout this week. I think my … Read more “Times Saturday 26670 – March 11, 2017.”

10:57. No real problems with this puzzle, just a smattering of slightly trickier ones in amongst some pretty straightforward double definitions and suchlike. There are two clues in this puzzle that rely on the idea … Read more “Sunday Times 4736 – horseman hawk and hound”