Solving time: 41:22 A very fine puzzle with an extremely good set of clues. Some great definitions and clever wordplay produced very natural surfaces here. This took me longer than the average Jumbo. Is the … Read more “Jumbo 752”
23,898 – Saturday, 26 April
Solving time: 16:30 The Times Crossword is a commuting habit for me, and so I don’t often do Saturday’s. I may change that, because this was an enjoyable puzzle that seemed just a bit scarier … Read more “23,898 – Saturday, 26 April”
23903
Solving time – 9:37 An easy end to what (I think) has been an easy week for the Times. No standout COD but I liked 21 so I’ll go for that. Across 5 CHASER – … Read more “23903”
Good books for the Times xwd
Like my previous posting about Times xwd “house style”, this one is under the “tips&tricks” tag. You can use the link to this under ‘tags’ on the right to just see postings with the tag. … Read more “Good books for the Times xwd”
Championship qualifier 2
Quick reminder that tomorrow’s paper (1 May) will have two puzzles – one being the second qualifier for this year’s Times Crossword Championship. These qualifiers are usually easy puzzles, so don’t get too excited if … Read more “Championship qualifier 2”
Times 23902 – wordplay goes bumph
Solving time : 26 minutes. On a first read-through of the across clues I didn’t get a single one, and I was sure we were in for a dose of impossible Thursday. I fared a … Read more “Times 23902 – wordplay goes bumph”
23901 – getting a bit more tricky
Solving time 8:54 Slower than the last couple, though I missed out on one trick for quick solving. After guessing SWEEPSTAKE from the def at 1A but not seeing the wordplay, I should have written … Read more “23901 – getting a bit more tricky”
Times 23,900 – Temporary word blindness and an old friend
As is my wont, total time a little over 20 minutes, but an inexplicably long part of that spent spotting the last two (9 down went in very slowly, after which I slapped my forehead … Read more “Times 23,900 – Temporary word blindness and an old friend”
23892 – Saturday 19th April
Solving time: unknown Solved afresh for this report. There’s lots of good stuff in this puzzle. Across 1 S(A LAD)CREAM 7 SIDE – 2 defs 9 P(R.U. D)ENCE 10 DR. ON GO – a bird … Read more “23892 – Saturday 19th April”
Times 23899
I received an email from the Crossword Club yesterday, saying that the site would be down today. I had planned to do the crossword later today, but finding it online this morning, I had a … Read more “Times 23899”