Crossword SNITCH

A quantitative guide to the degree of difficulty of the Times Cryptic Crossword

Times Cryptic Crossword 29163

Date 26 February 2025
Number 29163
Day of week Wednesday
NITCH 80
Count of ref solvers 60
Ref solvers excluded with errors 9
Link to crossword View Crossword*
Times for the Times Link 29163

* Requires access to the Times Crossword Club

Detailed solving results

Reference, Tracked and Blog solvers with error-free solutions to this puzzle are shown below.

We also show the solver's Personal NITCH, which is their result on this puzzle compared to their average time, and the Wavelength Index of Times Cryptic Hardness, the WITCH, which is the Personal NITCH compared to the SNITCH.

Name TfTT Name Average time This time Personal NITCH WITCH
Nathan Panning 05:57 03:24 57 71
Diskus 06:02 05:19 88 110
lili 06:11 03:36 58 72
Jason 06:21 04:28 70 87
cmjhutton 06:22 03:50 60 75
Magoo 06:30 04:21 66 82
verlaine Verlaine 06:38 04:07 62 77
hilarym 06:59 05:03 72 90
aphis99 aphis99 07:21 05:42 77 96
mistigris 07:24 05:54 79 98
samgdavies 08:07 07:39 94 117
boulemiche 08:49 08:52 100 125
tunflog 09:00 08:16 91 113
fshephe 09:16 13:13 142 177
HoneyBadger HoneyBadger 09:20 08:03 86 107
Umpire 09:22 07:06 75 93
asaldanha 09:29 07:34 79 98
KenD51 10:14 09:33 93 116
glheard glh 10:25 09:25 90 112
Deane Short Deane Short 10:29 12:33 119 148
SimonAnthony 10:38 17:56 168 210
chindit 10:40 11:19 106 132
Kinghedger 10:58 11:35 105 131
philjordan1147 BUSMAN 11:00 11:05 100 125
lickert 11:03 07:53 71 88
Ciolf 11:04 06:26 58 72
Heyesey 11:08 07:17 65 81
edwards.robert1 11:16 12:37 111 138
Topical Tim Topical Tim 11:18 10:45 95 118
andy 11:21 09:17 81 101
fuzz 11:24 14:24 126 157
scrabbler 11:26 10:21 90 112
neilr neilr 11:28 12:58 113 141
ChuckB 11:29 14:39 127 158
keriothe_ keriothe 11:29 09:06 79 98
David Crooks dcrooks 11:31 12:33 108 135
toots 11:36 09:13 79 98
chriswords 11:47 12:50 108 135
Tom Stubbs Tom Stubbs 11:51 07:34 63 78
MikeOsborne mikeosborne 11:58 13:40 114 142
Morphosis 12:02 09:41 80 100
Sheapey Sheapey 12:02 07:51 65 81
canismiser 12:12 09:57 81 101
njnclarke 12:17 10:09 82 102
Golvellius 12:24 12:44 102 127
d.middleton 12:39 13:33 107 133
John Walsh 12:40 14:13 112 140
Freemers 12:51 08:59 69 86
john.brassey 12:51 12:43 98 122
Stavros Stavrolex 13:00 12:08 93 116
Glencairn 13:05 14:00 107 133
JimboFS 13:11 08:52 67 83
Silva 13:19 14:16 107 133
LouWeed LouWeed 13:42 12:08 88 110
Secondbass 13:42 09:31 69 86
Ed freshpot Ed Freshpot 13:44 13:18 96 120
Penfold_61 Penfold 13:49 15:18 110 137
March (JeffCollins) mch1 13:50 10:51 78 97
Eddddddd 13:51 12:46 92 115
Groucho 13:52 10:01 72 90
EricK 14:04 10:36 75 93
Semillon 14:11 15:49 111 138
Tibthorpe 14:26 13:50 95 118
myles 14:33 14:45 101 126
Crucifer Crucifer 14:39 14:38 99 123
Ben Staveley 14:48 17:04 115 143
JezWoolfrey 14:54 15:22 103 128
franceslc11 14:58 10:59 73 91
Looch 15:07 13:31 89 111
MK76 15:08 11:06 73 91
Adelaider 15:22 09:05 59 73
andrewlake 15:31 15:55 102 127
CentralLine CentralLine 15:33 15:43 101 126
Finzi 15:33 14:08 90 112
DunPangolin 15:52 15:37 98 122
chriswestontour Chris West 15:52 21:03 132 165
tapbarker 15:59 12:21 77 96
cdb_100 16:07 10:27 64 80
ajcauk1 16:33 16:40 100 125
Jeremy S 16:45 12:11 72 90
Squallaby 16:50 18:47 111 138
julian_w 17:05 14:11 83 103
ilan 17:11 15:10 88 110
McBeakLives 17:14 12:25 72 90
PGooden 17:17 17:42 102 127
Valance 17:32 13:06 74 92
Achernar 17:34 15:09 86 107
GMcD 17:58 28:00 155 193
Galspray (Rabbitoh) galspray 17:59 09:47 54 67
hopkinb hopkinb 18:02 19:37 108 135
rrricharrrd 18:05 10:41 59 73
Jeremy Kenyon 18:06 14:48 81 101
Zander 18:30 17:34 94 117
Dzhigit dzhigit71 18:31 16:07 87 108
FraserH 18:34 18:39 100 125
daniel.faith 18:45 18:06 96 120
Pxspxs 19:00 13:49 72 90
Curarist Curarist 19:07 23:03 120 150
pterodactyl 19:08 11:49 61 76
Colin2355 19:12 19:29 101 126
SeamusX 19:13 16:04 83 103
MrChumley MrChumley 19:22 19:31 100 125
KarenR 19:24 16:19 84 105
Nangle 19:41 20:27 103 128
Zabadak3 Zabadak 19:45 23:57 121 151
Grestyman Grestyman 20:03 15:15 76 95
DamienKnapma 20:12 23:59 118 147
tony the butcher montana 20:28 21:09 103 128
george.garlick 20:43 19:16 93 116
Astonvilla.1 20:56 13:23 63 78
Astonvilla1 20:56 13:23 63 78
UisceTe 20:56 22:46 108 135
whichcraft 21:12 14:21 67 83
TonyN6 21:15 28:32 134 167
janesa 21:23 22:09 103 128
Hamish.S 21:24 20:59 98 122
hugh schofield Leskoffer 21:28 14:06 65 81
goblin 21:54 25:31 116 145
Kalakuta72 22:02 21:36 98 122
david_ch 22:09 16:25 74 92
Rod B 22:18 22:09 99 123
Sheen 22:28 15:36 69 86
Fidelio 23:12 20:28 88 110
hofzinser 23:39 14:32 61 76
JayEm 23:40 21:14 89 111
Tudds 23:52 17:23 72 90
Corymbia Corymbia 23:56 16:41 69 86
gsriordan52 24:50 18:33 74 92
Crippens1 25:02 32:38 130 162
rjcassidy rjcassidy 25:04 27:35 110 137
chris661554 25:15 19:32 77 96
Brenk Brenk1 25:22 23:05 90 112
infinitejest 25:29 16:03 62 77
Mkgnao Mkgnao 25:45 26:19 102 127
MichelinPoitiers MichelinPoitiers 26:03 25:15 96 120
ulaca ulaca 26:10 21:52 83 103
Dr_Bob 26:29 28:10 106 132
hugapug 26:39 22:07 82 102
mjsaunders9 26:44 14:16 53 66
En Cee 26:50 21:44 80 100
Kevin Gregg Kevin Gregg 27:14 24:02 88 110
eniamretrauq eniamretrauq 27:16 20:45 76 95
Jamie Fox 27:37 28:31 103 128
Yatton50 27:55 23:39 84 105
Mike Harper Mike Harper 27:59 23:42 84 105
Menelaus 28:27 16:58 59 73
Aldus 28:32 26:32 92 115
nekabue 28:44 15:35 54 67
Edprof 29:08 18:19 62 77
Winchelt618 29:28 37:22 126 157
gbestanley 30:01 22:16 74 92
Word Psmith wordpsmith 30:12 23:52 79 98
td349 30:17 30:48 101 126
JGP 32:42 20:10 61 76
Pleasuredome Pleasuredome8 33:21 29:23 88 110
Lloyd 33:38 26:13 77 96
vinyl12345 vinyl1 33:40 21:14 63 78
piltdown man 34:18 23:44 69 86
koro kororareka 34:19 34:22 100 125
Cryptique 34:49 32:37 93 116
gothick gothick 35:05 39:00 111 138
MalcolmD 35:11 54:14 154 192
Rookie 35:32 36:12 101 126
baronrob 36:03 36:00 99 123
Shushannah 37:00 37:43 101 126
WordPlodder BletchleyReject 38:03 41:05 107 133
Dr Dolittle 38:40 22:23 57 71
intentional rounding 38:52 27:52 71 88
rv_1 39:26 23:44 60 75
HanS 40:48 35:30 87 108
E Bradford E Bradford 41:27 43:17 104 130
The Real Steve Snackman 41:31 23:20 56 70
Steve Wood 45:08 47:31 105 131
empty 45:55 45:56 100 125
MartinP MartinP1 49:38 45:31 91 113

A guide to the solver status

Legend
 Reference solver used for SNITCH
 Other Reference solver
 Tracked solver
 Blog solver

Blog Solvers

Blog Solvers are those who have allowed their times to be taken from the Times for the Times blog.

Notes for Blog Solvers:

  • the most reliable format for reporting times is with format "mm:ss" or as "x minutes" in the title or at the start of the entry
  • only the first main comment for each blogger is used; responses to other comments or a second comment is ignored
  • to report errors, include "n errors" just after the time
  • If you just have a time it is assumed you have no errors unless you mention DNF or pink squares or giving up, etc, in the text
  • Examples of good time notifications are "38:30, 0 errors" and "39 minutes, 0 errors" in the comment title or as the first part of your comment

Notes

The definition of Reference and Tracked solvers is described on the Neutrinos page.

The results for Reference solvers are normally used to calcuate the SNITCH. When this happens they are shown in the list with a solid blue line to the left. In the previous SNITCH results listing for each crossword, these were the only entries shown.

The most common causes for Reference solver results not to be used are: (a) that they did not meet the criteria this month to be used as a reference (e.g. they may not have completed enough puzzles on each day of the week) or (b) they have been pushed out of the top 100 on the leader board. In these cases, the results are now shown, but their data is not used for the SNITCH calculation.

Where there is data for Tracked solvers, I show them also in this table. The solving data is not always available, as the Crossword Club site only shows the top 100 solvers to everyone. Logged-in users get their own leaderboard position and those around them, but this is not available to everyone. So the SNITCH site only gets data for those who have made the top 100 in the leaderboard at some point during the day.

As a result there are a few geographically advantaged solvers; those of us who solve early in the day (e.g. we in the Antipodes, those in Asia and those staying up late in North America) are more likely to hit the leaderboard even with slower times. Solvers who are just as capable but solve later in the UK day might not make the top 100 and I have no way to capture their results.

You may wonder why there are Tracked solvers (in red) with low average solving times, mixed in with the Reference solvers (in blue). These are usually those that, while they don't seem to be Neutrinos, are not well aligned to the SNITCH. So I don't use them as Reference solvers in the SNITCH calculation, but still show their overall results.

You might also notice that there's some inconsistency at the tail end of the Reference solver list. My cutoff point is an average solving time of 45 minutes. But if someone around this mark is chosen as a Reference solver, their next month's results might end up being over 45 minutes and they will still be used. Alternatively, a Tracked solver might creep in under 45 minutes on the next calculation, but didn't make the cut for the prior Reference list. It's on the to-do list to see if I can make this a bit more predictable.

Stored SNITCH Values

Here are the SNITCH values (stored on the day) from the crossword.

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