Solving time: 7:40, one mistake When they put foreign phrases into the puzzle, I reckon to gain time from good memory of French and other spelling – “faute de mieux” made hay for me in … Read more “24212 – c’est plus qu’un crime, c’est une faute”
Times 24,211 – That Hoodoo That You Do
An enjoyable 19 minutes spent on a puzzle which I thought pretty original and surprisingly testing – left hand side went in quickly, right hand side much less so. It also extended my knowledge of … Read more “Times 24,211 – That Hoodoo That You Do”
Times 24210 – “…and I dips me lid” C.J. Dennis
Solving time: 45 mins Some easy clues to begin with, but I hit the wall at about 30 mins with embarrassing gaps in all quarters which took some time to resolve. Was it just me, … Read more “Times 24210 – “…and I dips me lid” C.J. Dennis”
Mephisto 2538 – Paul McKenna
Solving time: not recorded but pretty slow – maybe 2-2½ hours. As you can gather I found this very tough. One reason was missing what should have been a very straightforward anagram at 34A, another … Read more “Mephisto 2538 – Paul McKenna”
ST 4325 (Sun 19 Apr) – Three cheers
Solving time: 9 mins Actually just a couple, at 10ac, but if only the Sunday Times crossword were like this every week: some outstanding clues here, especially the anagrams at 28ac, 5dn, 8dn and 13dn, … Read more “ST 4325 (Sun 19 Apr) – Three cheers”
Times Saturday 24203 (18th April)
Solving time 13:33, another pretty straightforward puzzle for a Saturday (not that I’m complaining, it ‘s made a nice change the last couple of weeks). I got the two long across answers straight away, which … Read more “Times Saturday 24203 (18th April)”
Today’s Guardian – your struggle won’t be as long as the setter’s!
I’m sure Times setter John Halpern would like you to try his puzzle as Paul in today’s Guardian. The reason why should be obvious from this entertaining puzzle. (PDF version recommended – the online one … Read more “Today’s Guardian – your struggle won’t be as long as the setter’s!”
Times 24208
Time taken to solve: 26 minutes. Mostly straightforward stuff requiring little special knowledge. I learnt one new book title (18d) and one new meaning of a familiar word (6d) but both were obvious from the wordplay. … Read more “Times 24208”
Times 24207
Solving time: 13:08 Relieved to finish in a reasonable time. There were three words I just didn’t know: 28 (MAYWEED) was a plausible name for a plant, but 23 (ZENANA) and 19 (STABILE) were bold … Read more “Times 24207”
Jumbo 808
Solving time: 16:43 A very quick solve, so I’m quite surprised that I’ve found so many clues to write about. The 18-12 victory for downs in the comment count suggests that my usual solving order … Read more “Jumbo 808”