Crossword SNITCH

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

Times Cryptic Crossword 29347

Date 29 September 2025
Number 29347
Day of week Monday
NITCH 49
Count of ref solvers 60
Ref solvers excluded with errors 6
Link to crossword View Crossword*
Times for the Times Link 29347

* 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 04:34 02:44 59 120
Nathan Panning 05:33 02:53 51 104
Magoo 06:00 03:25 56 114
Paul Gilbert 06:15 03:37 57 116
verlaine Verlaine 06:34 04:17 65 132
lili 06:36 03:39 55 112
Diskus 06:44 04:54 72 146
Jason 06:57 03:34 51 104
hilarym 07:04 05:09 72 146
mistigris 07:31 03:53 51 104
aphis99 aphis99 07:39 03:42 48 97
Alexis Johansen 07:49 04:00 51 104
HoneyBadger HoneyBadger 08:31 05:00 58 118
Torquay53 08:35 06:10 71 144
boulemiche 09:10 06:37 72 146
asaldanha 09:20 03:44 40 81
glheard glh 09:48 04:50 49 100
LoreleiBill 10:32 06:11 58 118
Deane Short Deane Short 11:12 03:57 35 71
Heyesey 11:12 06:19 56 114
Kinghedger 11:13 04:56 43 87
toots 11:19 06:09 54 110
keriothe_ keriothe 11:37 06:12 53 108
neilr neilr 11:42 08:55 76 155
scrabbler 11:49 07:09 60 122
Tom Stubbs Tom Stubbs 11:50 06:50 57 116
miked1961 11:52 06:35 55 112
David Crooks dcrooks 11:53 07:27 62 126
Amoeba89 Amoeba 11:54 06:11 51 104
SimonAnthony 11:56 03:57 33 67
chindit 12:02 07:17 60 122
Morphosis 12:04 06:53 57 116
andy 12:14 06:02 49 100
ChuckB 12:25 09:22 75 153
Groucho 12:26 06:25 51 104
Adelaider 12:35 07:10 56 114
Golvellius 12:57 04:59 38 77
chriswords 12:58 07:49 60 122
Paul Bacon 12:58 08:49 67 136
Sheapey Sheapey 13:12 07:25 56 114
John Walsh 13:18 09:29 71 144
Silva 13:20 07:20 55 112
MikeOsborne mikeosborne 13:23 06:12 46 93
JimboFS 13:24 06:47 50 102
d.middleton 13:24 06:42 50 102
Topical Tim Topical Tim 13:28 05:47 42 85
tilbee 13:30 06:31 48 97
Secondbass 13:38 09:11 67 136
Peponi13 13:41 09:22 68 138
Riche Riche 13:50 09:51 71 144
Ed freshpot Ed Freshpot 13:55 08:24 60 122
Eddddddd 14:04 06:06 43 87
7dPenguin (KenG) 7dPenguin 14:06 09:04 64 130
alexh 14:13 08:36 60 122
CentralLine CentralLine 14:15 07:10 50 102
Stavros Stavrolex 14:16 07:35 53 108
Aybee 14:19 05:16 36 73
LouWeed LouWeed 14:24 08:04 56 114
Semillon 14:26 06:03 41 83
Tibthorpe 14:40 09:36 65 132
MK76 14:54 07:04 47 95
JezWoolfrey 14:58 08:03 53 108
Looch 15:04 09:30 63 128
whichcraft 15:04 06:10 40 81
DunPangolin 15:13 11:31 75 153
nickname 15:15 09:34 62 126
Pootle Pootle 15:18 06:06 39 79
Paul Hammond Paul Hammond 15:26 08:28 54 110
Pxspxs 15:45 02:20 14 28
johninterred Johninterred 15:55 07:17 45 91
cmcnsmith 16:07 08:18 51 104
robertL 16:09 08:00 49 100
andrewlake 16:11 07:48 48 97
RobR RobR 16:12 07:38 47 95
franceslc11 16:14 07:16 44 89
myles 16:21 15:34 95 193
tds 16:26 07:44 47 95
doublecross anguswalker 16:27 07:50 47 95
chriswestontour Chris West 16:30 11:59 72 146
tapbarker 16:40 06:19 37 75
ajcauk1 16:46 12:36 75 153
phthisis 17:07 09:35 55 112
Squallaby 17:15 06:56 40 81
thewanderingeditor 17:19 05:49 33 67
Achernar 17:21 10:21 59 120
Encota 17:29 08:07 46 93
ilan 17:35 08:49 50 102
Jeremy S 17:36 08:42 49 100
PGooden 17:39 09:46 55 112
Upfisher 17:47 10:22 58 118
DamienKnapma 17:51 20:51 116 236
Onelug 17:59 10:22 57 116
Crossiant 18:00 08:15 45 91
cdb_100 18:01 09:25 52 106
David Bourne 18:38 08:26 45 91
DanSolo 18:44 08:30 45 91
John Arnold 19:19 14:35 75 153
KarenR 19:22 08:02 41 83
KET 19:29 09:31 48 97
Galspray (Rabbitoh) galspray 19:40 07:42 39 79
GMcD 19:49 14:36 73 148
hugh schofield Leskoffer 19:58 13:30 67 136
Curarist Curarist 20:04 09:52 49 100
robinh 20:05 12:49 63 128
Rowlie26 Rowlie26 20:17 14:51 73 148
Nangle 20:21 08:22 41 83
pc8 20:25 07:29 36 73
Anomalospiza 20:32 11:13 54 110
Aldus 20:39 09:39 46 93
gsriordan52 20:47 07:27 35 71
alwsn8 20:51 09:05 43 87
Gallion Fish 20:54 10:56 52 106
Willie F 21:28 09:17 43 87
Zabadak3 Zabadak 21:33 12:31 58 118
JayEm 21:36 05:30 25 51
george.garlick 21:42 11:30 52 106
Rod B 22:01 13:26 61 124
david_ch 22:14 13:15 59 120
Tudds 22:43 09:31 41 83
infinitejest 22:51 13:21 58 118
1234 22:52 16:33 72 146
goblin 22:52 15:38 68 138
mjsaunders9 24:50 10:24 41 83
ulaca ulaca 25:14 16:02 63 128
rjcassidy rjcassidy 25:40 12:19 47 95
MichelinPoitiers MichelinPoitiers 25:43 14:12 55 112
Yatton50 25:55 20:20 78 159
Word Psmith wordpsmith 26:23 27:24 103 210
Deezzaa Deezzaa 26:25 14:07 53 108
SlumdogEngineer 26:28 11:27 43 87
Brenk Brenk1 26:51 12:45 47 95
Mike Harper Mike Harper 27:04 09:33 35 71
JoeyC 27:17 12:39 46 93
chris661554 27:33 09:58 36 73
Hamish.S 27:36 12:58 46 93
Grumpole Grumpole 28:52 10:40 36 73
Jamie Fox 29:19 09:03 30 61
nekabue 29:25 14:50 50 102
Dr_Bob 29:35 13:40 46 93
Manveru 29:36 15:05 50 102
wimpoldo 29:39 24:16 81 165
simjt simjt 29:51 24:59 83 169
David Luke 30:02 11:36 38 77
Jonathan O 30:15 16:01 52 106
The Real Steve Snackman 31:40 13:54 43 87
alexngbr 31:58 23:56 74 151
Kernowdoc 32:39 13:38 41 83
vinyl12345 vinyl1 32:48 15:02 45 91
laurence_da 33:58 17:03 50 102
Bossbutbee 34:31 22:09 64 130
Mike Mansbridge 34:33 15:01 43 87
rv_1 34:43 11:13 32 65
clivejharlow 35:01 22:35 64 130
Peloton 35:55 22:07 61 124
kapietro kapietro 36:05 25:22 70 142
Lloyd 36:21 29:07 80 163
koro kororareka 37:00 17:25 47 95
dosbarth 37:03 19:02 51 104
E Bradford E Bradford 37:23 14:20 38 77
JGP 37:54 22:33 59 120
boltonwanderer 38:12 18:00 47 95
Shushannah 38:35 22:13 57 116
Maggot 40:18 23:47 59 120
Steve Wood 40:28 21:53 54 110
WordPlodder BletchleyReject 40:35 18:33 45 91
Aidleys 43:27 20:24 46 93
Dr Dolittle 45:04 16:21 36 73
MichaelE 46:19 17:04 36 73
empty 46:28 28:06 60 122
Merlin_55 56:02 38:11 68 138
profsjpayne 59:41 17:26 29 59

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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