Solving time: 9:39 Some nice clues in this (17ac and 23dn are my favourites), and the usual couple of mistakes – wordplay in 26ac and enumeration at 21ac. * = anagram, “X” = sounds like … Read more “ST 4232 (Sun 8 Jul) – Ruse contre ruse”
Racing the cryptic clock – Times for the week’s puzzles
[Minor changes to the system below are the result of suggestions in the comments. The first serious contest will be next week, based on your times for Puzzles from Sat 14 July to Friday 20 … Read more “Racing the cryptic clock – Times for the week’s puzzles”
Times 23,652 – 20ac looking at some of this!
A fairly challenging puzzle today, I thought. Some of the clues seemed to take longer than I’d have expected if I’d been on form and there are a couple I’m unsure about. Solving time – … Read more “Times 23,652 – 20ac looking at some of this!”
Times Saturday 23647 (July 7) – brilliant!
Solving time – about 40 mins over two sessions. This was a quite brilliant puzzle which even had a thread dedicated to it at the Crossword Centre, so I feel obliged to put up a … Read more “Times Saturday 23647 (July 7) – brilliant!”
23651 – Look sharp and blurred
Solving time: 10:33 Quick start with 1A and the two long down ones going in straight away (even if I only worked out why it was SQUARE THE CIRCLE afterwards). Then quite a lot of … Read more “23651 – Look sharp and blurred”
23650 – a couple of minutes slow
Solving muscles are fairly well back in trim after doing most of the Times puzzles from my holiday last night, but I was still rather slow on 4,14,18,28 and 13. And turned out to have … Read more “23650 – a couple of minutes slow”
Times 23649/what about Whitby?
Solving time: 37’ Was going pretty fast and I had deluded myself into thinking I could join the illustrious crowd who solved Friday, Sunday and Monday in record times… until I hit the NE corner … Read more “Times 23649/what about Whitby?”
ST 4231 (Sun 1 Jul) – Easy as Phi
Solving time: 2:41 Wow, where did that come from? 2:41 is a PB for me for this puzzle, and my best time ever for a 15×15 blocked crossword. A little wasted time on 9ac, which … Read more “ST 4231 (Sun 1 Jul) – Easy as Phi”
Times 23,646 – sorry for the delay
Apologies for the (very) late blog, but I can’t post from my workplace, and I normally send my blog to Peter and he kindly posts on my behalf. I forgot he was on holiday, and … Read more “Times 23,646 – sorry for the delay”
Times 23,648 – over in a flash
Solving time: 23 minutes – I think my best time ever. This was really easy – nothing to hold me up at all. EILAT at 24A was the only new word here, but wordplay was … Read more “Times 23,648 – over in a flash”