Solving time: 25’ but… Pretty fast for me but… I cheated a bit with online references: e.g. OPUNTIA. I found this a rather prickly puzzle since some of the wordplay was subtle and some of … Read more “Times 23619/prickly”

Solving time : 1h 20I did just over half of it on a 45 min train journey, finished off at lunch and checked the ‘guesses’ as I wrote this. I’d say this was harder than … Read more “23,618 – pretty tough overall”

Solving time: 8:10 No real hold-ups at the end on this one, but overall I thought this was harder than usual. * = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’. Across 1 OLIVER TWIST; (OR VILE)* … Read more “ST 4226 (Sun 27 May) – Artful dodgery”

This felt more like a test of general knowledge than of wordmanship, but I didn’t find it terribly difficult. There were a couple of more obscure answers, but the wordplay was generally straightforward enough to … Read more “Times 23,616 – one for the polymath”

Solving time: 11:02 Good puzzle. Interesting but not too obscure answers, and some enterprising approaches to cluing. And economical clues, with very few linking words. Quite a few literary references, in surfaces or answers. And … Read more “Times 23615 – Wilt thou, Angus, …”

Some tricky words at the end, but not too difficult overall. Enjoyed it. Solving time: 25 mins (about average for me for the Times) * = anagramACROSS1 HADES cf shades Both meaning the underworld (hell)4 … Read more “Times 23,614 – Not too hellish”

Solving time: 45’-1h (didn’t properly time myself). Another first-class and, to my mind, hard puzzle. The SW corner was the most challenging – nothing fell there until quite late. As per usual a couple of … Read more “Times 23613/dogs, hogs and pigs”

Solving time: 41 minutes Another Bank Holiday, another straightforward puzzle. There was nothing too tricky today: a few words I didn’t know but I wasn’t held up for too long. There were quite a few … Read more “23612 – I spy a mysterious smorgasbord of pandowdies and spam”