Crossword SNITCH

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

Times Cryptic Crossword 29331

Date 10 September 2025
Number 29331
Day of week Wednesday
NITCH 89
Count of ref solvers 62
Ref solvers excluded with errors 6
Link to crossword View Crossword*
Times for the Times Link 29331

* Requires access to the Times Crossword Club

Detailed solving results

 

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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
mohn mohn2 04:33 05:33 121 135
Nathan Panning 05:40 04:23 77 86
Magoo 05:58 06:22 106 119
lili 06:27 06:14 96 107
verlaine Verlaine 06:32 06:49 104 116
cmjhutton 06:36 03:48 57 64
Diskus 06:38 06:19 95 106
Jason 06:58 05:54 84 94
mistigris 07:30 06:01 80 89
Alexis Johansen 07:45 07:33 97 108
aphis99 aphis99 07:48 07:08 91 102
HoneyBadger HoneyBadger 08:27 06:28 76 85
boulemiche 08:56 10:49 121 135
glheard glh 09:28 11:35 122 137
markdobell 09:57 08:58 90 101
richard 09:57 08:33 85 95
tiggis 10:04 09:54 98 110
AlanS 10:04 09:02 89 100
Ciolf 10:14 11:32 112 125
LoreleiBill 10:37 07:40 72 80
Kinghedger 11:05 07:35 68 76
toots 11:10 13:03 116 130
Freemers 11:20 13:31 119 133
lickert 11:26 11:36 101 113
neilr neilr 11:27 14:41 128 143
scrabbler 11:33 12:38 109 122
Tom Stubbs Tom Stubbs 11:38 11:03 94 105
miked1961 11:41 09:19 79 88
keriothe_ keriothe 11:43 09:55 84 94
Heyesey 11:48 08:35 72 80
chindit 11:50 10:10 85 95
SimonAnthony 11:58 09:23 78 87
Golvellius 12:01 16:56 140 157
philjordan1147 BUSMAN 12:08 19:22 159 178
Amoeba89 Amoeba 12:17 09:13 75 84
aphasic 12:27 16:13 130 146
andy 12:30 12:58 103 115
Groucho 12:39 14:43 116 130
chriswords 12:44 12:40 99 111
canismiser 12:59 10:57 84 94
JimboFS 13:02 13:53 106 119
Sheapey Sheapey 13:08 10:11 77 86
MikeOsborne mikeosborne 13:15 11:32 87 97
tilbee 13:18 12:59 97 108
Silva 13:19 15:23 115 129
EricK 13:23 11:03 82 92
March (JeffCollins) mch1 13:29 13:37 100 112
Topical Tim Topical Tim 13:36 13:41 100 112
Peponi13 13:39 16:17 119 133
Secondbass 13:42 09:58 72 80
Riche Riche 13:46 16:26 119 133
7dPenguin (KenG) 7dPenguin 13:49 12:24 89 100
Ed freshpot Ed Freshpot 13:53 12:10 87 97
alexh 14:02 12:38 90 101
Eddddddd 14:17 13:48 96 107
LouWeed LouWeed 14:22 14:44 102 114
CentralLine CentralLine 14:23 17:10 119 133
Aybee 14:28 16:24 113 126
Semillon 14:29 10:02 69 77
Tibthorpe 14:31 12:01 82 92
Stavros Stavrolex 14:44 11:15 76 85
jimwetzler 14:49 15:38 105 117
Pootle Pootle 14:59 12:57 86 96
benbush 14:59 14:19 95 106
Finzi 15:02 15:23 102 114
Looch 15:07 13:44 90 101
DunPangolin 15:08 17:55 118 132
JezWoolfrey 15:09 15:18 100 112
Rinteff Rinteff 15:16 17:14 112 125
BlackburnRover 15:20 20:05 130 146
julian_w 15:25 17:36 114 128
franceslc11 15:55 11:42 73 82
tapbarker 16:13 17:04 105 117
andrewlake 16:17 18:52 115 129
tds 16:18 16:33 101 113
RobR RobR 16:24 15:41 95 106
ajcauk1 16:40 15:42 94 105
Achernar 17:05 15:31 90 101
phthisis 17:18 15:57 92 103
Mike C 17:25 18:12 104 116
PGooden 17:29 18:24 105 117
Encota 17:44 13:28 75 84
Squallaby 18:09 21:49 120 134
cdb_100 18:20 11:20 61 68
DanSolo 18:32 12:59 70 78
pterodactyl 18:58 22:06 116 130
Galspray (Rabbitoh) galspray 19:21 14:16 73 82
robinh 19:27 23:28 120 134
brian.richards1 19:44 25:08 127 142
tony the butcher montana 19:44 34:07 172 193
GMcD 19:47 16:30 83 93
LJCN 19:47 19:42 99 111
uvofiz 19:50 13:27 67 75
dr.shred 19:57 25:13 126 141
KarenR 20:09 14:25 71 79
Curarist Curarist 20:26 19:25 95 106
gsriordan52 20:43 24:00 115 129
valerian1967 20:54 17:10 82 92
pc8 20:56 14:38 69 77
The Caffeine Kid 21:07 28:34 135 151
Aldus 21:08 23:26 110 123
Zabadak3 Zabadak 21:09 18:18 86 96
janesa 21:11 19:03 89 100
Anomalospiza 21:13 16:12 76 85
Waterloo 21:16 22:39 106 119
James P Special_bitter 21:32 20:39 95 106
Willie F 21:33 19:15 89 100
alwsn8 21:55 20:14 92 103
infinitejest 22:13 22:54 103 115
david_ch 22:20 18:15 81 91
Rod B 22:24 16:48 75 84
Tudds 22:25 32:50 146 164
Kevin Gregg Kevin Gregg 22:39 35:38 157 176
goblin 23:01 21:16 92 103
1234 23:18 31:03 133 149
Hamish.S 23:26 29:35 126 141
Crippens1 23:56 30:58 129 144
symbenall2 24:44 28:19 114 128
mjsaunders9 24:47 13:43 55 61
MichelinPoitiers MichelinPoitiers 25:15 27:51 110 123
ulaca ulaca 25:30 36:26 142 159
Fidelio 26:00 29:53 114 128
Deezzaa Deezzaa 26:18 23:16 88 98
JohnDun (johndun) john_dun 26:58 18:10 67 75
Mike Harper Mike Harper 27:18 31:04 113 126
barracuda barracuda 28:06 28:31 101 113
Edprof 28:55 20:08 69 77
eniamretrauq eniamretrauq 28:57 21:00 72 80
Gussie 29:02 21:11 72 80
wimpoldo 29:21 31:06 105 117
Manveru 29:22 27:44 94 105
gbestanley 29:24 35:46 121 135
simjt simjt 29:29 34:30 117 131
Dr_Bob 29:33 28:35 96 107
laurence_da 30:12 22:13 73 82
Pendrov 30:30 25:20 83 93
RogerC 31:10 26:51 86 96
The Real Steve Snackman 32:16 24:51 77 86
intentional rounding 32:39 22:05 67 75
alexngbr 33:13 42:49 128 143
Rookie 33:57 29:25 86 96
JoeyC 34:06 21:35 63 70
Bossbutbee 35:21 29:36 83 93
Alias Noble 35:38 28:16 79 88
rv_1 35:48 21:54 61 68
Cryptique 36:03 56:37 157 176
Pelforth 36:08 43:33 120 134
MalcolmD 36:29 30:23 83 93
dosbarth 36:29 37:02 101 113
kapietro kapietro 36:39 38:25 104 116
boltonwanderer 37:12 42:00 112 125
Peloton 37:15 27:38 74 83
starstruck starstruck_au 37:37 32:29 86 96
E Bradford E Bradford 38:11 33:24 87 97
joss henry 38:28 46:06 119 133
Shushannah 38:56 27:03 69 77
WordPlodder BletchleyReject 40:17 27:05 67 75
Steve Wood 41:39 40:54 98 110
Aidleys 44:58 37:07 82 92
MichaelE 45:59 46:17 100 112
CoxBurglar coxburglar 46:59 76:00 161 180
kjbr 52:53 64:15 121 135
Merlin_55 58:53 50:28 85 95

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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