…will appear here. My house was burgled last night so I’ve got a bit to sort out today. I’ll do the blog entry when I get a chance. OK, so I’ve been a bit lazy. … Read more “Saturday Times 23581”
Times 23,586 – too many mistakes!
This was the most difficult of the Friday puzzles I have blogged since I joined the Times team. I started off well enough, but the right-hand side of the grid just wouldn’t come for me. … Read more “Times 23,586 – too many mistakes!”
23585 – Any old iron duke
Solving time: 14:25 Thanks to Magoo for filling in the last three Thursdays while I was away. Now we are back to double-digit solving times. Lord of the Flies at 14A was the first one … Read more “23585 – Any old iron duke”
23,584 – tough for me
Solving time 13:10 Slow progress at first, with most of my answers at the bottom. Then gradually got going. Quite a few two-word phrases to be given the “lift and separate” treatment. Lots of interesting … Read more “23,584 – tough for me”
Bank Holiday Jumbo 692 – Blowing my trumpet
I recently got out of the habit of doing the Times Jumbo, and have never timed myself, but I’d be really surprised if I’ve ever done one as quickly as this – I don’t generally … Read more “Bank Holiday Jumbo 692 – Blowing my trumpet”
Times 23583/Pussy Galore!
Solving time: 25’ Any time under half an hour is rather quick for me, though there are a couple of wordplays that I’ll leave for my betters to gloss. Words almost all longish (except for … Read more “Times 23583/Pussy Galore!”
Times Jumbo 691 – Asian elephant
Solving time 20:18 I hadn’t noticed, when calling a previous Jumbo post “African Elephant”, that the other kind appears at 30D in this puzzle. A few tricky corners here – my copy has some crossing … Read more “Times Jumbo 691 – Asian elephant”
Mephisto 2433 – Chris Feetenby
Solving time: 27 mins without Chambers, but one mistake (20A) At least on the Times club site, this puzzle was spoiled by the truncation of four clues. Here they are in full, as the site … Read more “Mephisto 2433 – Chris Feetenby”
23,582 – Puzzle protocol? Snap out of it
Solving time : just under 40 minutes. I had a really slow start, only getting a few clues on first read-through. Then I seemed to fall into crossword mode and whizzed through the rest. I … Read more “23,582 – Puzzle protocol? Snap out of it”
Times Saturday 23575 – better late than never!
Solving time 13:32 Sorry for the lateness of this posting – I was away for the weekend at very short notice, although I should at least have put up a placeholder message. Not too hard, … Read more “Times Saturday 23575 – better late than never!”