A rapid grid fiil brings the reward of a visit to the sherry decanter before attempting to make sense of the preamble. It's a risky strategy, but someone has to try it. On reflection, I think I boobed...
An enjoyable Listener debut from Nod A concise preamble for once, straightforward clues and a nice finish to round it off. A few of the clues I had the wrong letter, despite being perfectly acceptable...
Having seen the setter(s) I thought that this would be a real problem. Surprisingly, despite some tricky clues, it all fell into place quite quickly. I notice that these days they omit the instruction...
Having seen that this has a Playcode code, I was intending to put it to one side. Having failed at that, I now find myself within an ace of finishing. Much easier than I expected, but I realise that...
A pretty straightforward solve this week, as 6 or 8 cold solves revealed the likely method of entry. But, a well constructed puzzle, and a nice break after last week's brainbuster. Thank you Waterloo,...
I posted a perfectly polite notice on the Times website creating a discussion about this week's puzzle - along the lines of: "I am getting a bit fed up with the preponderance of cartes blanches,...
Despite only solving 2 of Shackleton's puzzles before (the Jackson Pollock puzzle and the Morse code/Beethoven prize winning puzzle of last year), I have been eagerly awaiting the next. This does not...
Is 12 across blessed with the correct clue? I've seen the same clue (31 across in this case) leading to a different answer on occasions, but I can only work out one single word answer which doesn't...
Grid fill is proceding quite quickly and smoothly, especially when compared to last week. However, I know that this will rapidly slow down as I know nothing about either the two adversaries or the...
Not even close yet: I have almost all the "outside" clues and most of the ones that start on the outside, but tracking them through the knight moves is pretty desperate at the moment. I'm...
I spent a long time staring at a grid with the source filled in and a knowledge of the letters that had slipped before I started cracking the clues. Having basically solved it in the reverse order I...
An enjoyable Listener début from Ifor (although a setter that I have solved in the Magpie, EV and IQ). I was wondering why this needed to be a carte blanche as I was solving it, but the little...
Rapidly closing in on this having now got over two thirds of the grid filled, but not yet the thematic creation. I particularly liked 23D, but perhaps that's just me. A fun debut (I think). Many...
First off, I'm an atheist. I see no good reason to believe in some 'higher' power. Religion to me is goblydegook, superstition and nothing more. However, I cannot wrap my head around the idea that...
Religion is a fantasy, or fiction, which evolved in various ways over many centuries, with God as the central character. This does not mean that religion is necessarily a bad thing, although often it...
Thank you, Poat. Quite pretty, but not tough enough to keep me away from the garden for too long this fine weekend. I have to admit I had to rely on the phrase to get me started on the bottom...