Solving time: 14.14 I thought this was a good puzzle, with some very neat and clever clueing. I was slow to see the two long across answers at 10 and 25, which probably added a … Read more “Times Crossword 24322”
Times 24,321
Solving time: 14:30 I found some of this rather tough, though with lots to enjoy. I was going to write that there was nothing very obscure, but then I had never heard of Perm (5A), … Read more “Times 24,321”
Times 24320
Solving time: 10:05 Forgot to note which answers came last, but can certainly tell you which wordplay came last – 3D, well after solving and explaining everything else. There are some very good clues here, … Read more “Times 24320”
Times 24,319
12 minutes today, so significantly easier than recent puzzles on my watch, in my opinion at least. Perfectly respectable without being anything special (he said, trying not to damn with faint praise…) Across 1 PRINCEDOMS … Read more “Times 24,319”
Times 24318 – If I only had the Latin
Solving time: 33mins Apart from the Latin, and a few things which I didn’t know but sounded as if they had to be right, this was a gentle beginning to the week, befitting the holiday … Read more “Times 24318 – If I only had the Latin”
Sunday Times 4,343 – Light & Easy
Normally, the puzzles I tackle from the daily broadsheets will require at least a couple of references to Chambers, thesaurus and sometimes even to other sources like Wikipedia; perhaps to check spelling or a new … Read more “Sunday Times 4,343 – Light & Easy”
Mephisto 2556 Paul McKenna
A couple of weeks ago an anonymous blogger asked if we thought Mephisto was being dumbed down. We said we didn’t think so but to try to get a feel for the situation I timed … Read more “Mephisto 2556 Paul McKenna”
Saturday Times 24311 (Aug 22nd)
Solving time 17:05, which makes it above average in difficulty for me, but not a real stinker. Actually I was probably just off form, as it doesn’t seem all that difficult in hindsight now. Mind … Read more “Saturday Times 24311 (Aug 22nd)”
Times 24316 – Off for a lie-down now!
Time taken to solve: Off the scale, but something like 90 minutes to complete the grid and at least another 30 working on the explanations, so about 2 hours of anguish for me this morning. … Read more “Times 24316 – Off for a lie-down now!”
Jumbo 829 – August 15, 2009
About 30 minutes. A bit of a mixed bag here. Some really easy, some really good, some really poor, some nigh on impossible and two that I can’t explain. Across 1 STUDIO COUCH – (OUTDO … Read more “Jumbo 829 – August 15, 2009”