Quick SNITCH

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

Times Quick Cryptic Crossword 3026

Date 27 June 2025
Number 3026
Setter Juji
Day of week Friday
NITCH 84
Count of ref solvers 71
Ref solvers excluded with errors 15
Link to crossword View Crossword*
Times for the Times Link 3026

* 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
Paul Gilbert 02:17 01:54 83 98
verlaine 02:37 02:23 91 108
Magoo 02:47 02:32 91 108
hilarym 02:47 02:57 105 125
aphis99 aphis99 02:53 02:21 81 96
Flimmy flammy 03:11 02:48 87 103
Ciolf 03:39 03:18 90 107
markdobell 03:39 03:36 98 116
Amoeba89 03:59 03:09 79 94
glheard 04:00 03:49 95 113
SimonAnthony 04:02 04:57 122 145
Kinghedger 04:03 03:10 78 92
Topical Tim Topical Tim 04:07 04:11 101 120
Deane Short 04:14 02:53 68 80
lickert 04:15 04:28 105 125
MikeOsborne 04:16 04:22 102 121
MK76 04:34 04:14 92 109
chindit 04:35 04:06 89 105
tilbee 04:39 04:20 93 110
philjordan1147 BUSMAN 04:41 05:45 122 145
Freemers 04:44 04:25 93 110
EricK 04:45 03:45 78 92
Tom Stubbs Tom Stubbs 04:46 05:27 114 135
Bluejacket 04:46 02:28 51 60
LouWeed LouWeed 04:53 04:21 89 105
scrabbler 04:53 05:37 115 136
Jon Delfin 04:55 03:00 61 72
andy 04:55 05:38 114 135
canismiser 04:56 04:59 101 120
Liari 04:57 04:02 81 96
Ed freshpot 04:59 04:18 86 102
JayEm 05:00 03:31 70 83
Honggui 05:01 04:57 98 116
Johninterred 05:05 04:50 95 113
March 05:05 04:44 93 110
7dPenguin 7dPenguin 05:13 04:19 82 97
cmcnsmith 05:24 04:55 91 108
GeorgeTz 05:30 05:54 107 127
Crossiant 05:33 06:50 123 146
Riche Riche 05:37 05:06 90 107
Finzi 05:39 06:17 111 132
whichcraft 05:40 04:13 74 88
MrChumley MrChumley 05:43 05:06 89 105
Vannyx 05:45 04:33 79 94
Streaky Bacon 05:50 04:55 84 100
mw7000 05:51 04:13 72 85
chriswestontour 05:52 05:45 98 116
mcrossib1 05:52 06:09 104 123
Rabbitoh galspray 05:52 03:45 63 75
Encota 05:53 05:29 93 110
Looch 05:58 06:24 107 127
KET 05:59 04:30 75 89
KarenR 06:02 06:42 111 132
SBQuick 06:02 05:41 94 111
cath23 06:03 04:49 79 94
hopkinb hopkinb 06:07 04:57 80 95
Gaius 06:12 04:45 76 90
Rosron 06:13 08:04 129 153
PGooden 06:17 05:34 88 104
andrewfeist96 06:18 05:14 83 98
dr.shred 06:19 07:15 114 135
Anomalospiza 06:20 05:03 79 94
Carol 06:20 05:42 90 107
Onelug 06:22 04:56 77 91
Adrian Cobb 06:28 05:19 82 97
Shabbo 06:33 03:52 59 70
julian_w 06:34 05:12 79 94
paul.whitehouse69 06:36 06:29 98 116
Dzhigit 06:40 03:30 52 61
plusjeremy (Jeremy Weissmann) plusjeremy 06:40 03:47 56 66
Tudds 06:43 04:50 71 84
GMcD 06:43 07:30 111 132
Curarist 06:43 08:01 119 141
mjsaunders9 06:57 05:28 78 92
FraserH 07:02 07:04 100 119
janesa 07:04 06:58 98 116
Nangle 07:05 06:10 87 103
Willie F 07:05 05:00 70 83
robertL 07:07 07:05 99 117
James P 07:08 05:47 81 96
tds 07:10 06:21 88 104
valerian1967 07:14 05:48 80 95
uvofiz 07:15 06:26 88 104
earlylight 07:20 07:30 102 121
Kevin Gregg Kevin Gregg 07:21 07:57 108 128
robinh 07:25 07:03 95 113
Jamie Fox 07:29 03:26 45 53
DamienKnapma 07:33 07:19 96 114
Mike Harper Mike Harper 07:36 07:57 104 123
Dvynys Dvynys 07:45 07:26 95 113
Corymbia Corymbia 07:50 08:15 105 125
docg 07:55 06:14 78 92
ChrisBrea 07:58 06:23 80 95
plett11 Plett11 08:13 06:00 73 86
Sheen 08:18 06:49 82 97
ulaca ulaca 08:31 07:19 85 101
john.brassey 08:33 07:20 85 101
goblin 08:35 07:29 87 103
OldSolver 08:35 07:01 81 96
johndun John Dunleavy 08:37 07:10 83 98
vinyl12345 vinyl1 08:37 06:37 76 90
hemantyd 08:38 08:28 98 116
smalley552 08:40 06:39 76 90
Jeeves 08:41 07:58 91 108
alex.scordellis 08:42 06:00 68 80
m5harp 08:47 05:45 65 77
kath 08:52 14:13 160 190
crucihacker 09:03 07:03 77 91
Troothful 09:03 05:06 56 66
Calculator001 09:05 08:14 90 107
Mkgnao Mkgnao 09:07 08:50 96 114
dec 09:10 07:56 86 102
Deezzaa Deezzaa 09:27 08:23 88 104
Edprof 09:30 08:35 90 107
barracuda barracuda 09:30 12:51 135 160
raincloud 09:37 08:59 93 110
hookyt 09:47 10:01 102 121
Poff 09:57 11:48 118 140
Married Admirer 10:04 08:07 80 95
Cryptique 10:11 04:45 46 54
annikins 10:17 07:44 75 89
Alias Noble 10:18 10:33 102 121
Pauline Minter 10:20 09:28 91 108
phatman 10:36 07:03 66 78
Laputan 10:52 09:45 89 105
starstruck starstruck_au 11:01 11:51 107 127
intentional rounding 11:07 04:51 43 51
Nuck_the_king 11:09 07:50 70 83
symbenall2 11:11 09:26 84 100
Pendrov 11:17 11:20 100 119
paul.verney 11:20 11:07 98 116
simjt simjt 11:22 10:18 90 107
maisiemae 11:26 28:13 246 292
Cedric Statherby 11:39 06:47 58 69
WordPlodder BletchleyReject 11:40 10:24 89 105
rlowin2 11:42 10:44 91 108
Captain Burnaby 11:50 06:57 58 69
alistair.boere 12:04 16:26 136 161
BertieVII 12:14 08:16 67 79
youngbaz 12:16 16:06 131 155
Richard the First 12:21 11:12 90 107
Sonofjim 12:34 05:17 42 50
suethepotterer 12:48 11:35 90 107
chabuduo chabuduo 13:01 07:16 55 65
ifincham2 13:13 15:34 117 139
trish_tang 13:33 12:44 93 110
Hugster 13:39 10:52 79 94
Merlin_55 Merlin 14:42 14:14 96 114
Muckypuppy 15:01 08:24 55 65
Steve Wood 15:06 08:28 56 66
Mark from Ipswich 15:08 10:02 66 78
kfb20 15:10 12:37 83 98
Doofenschmirtz Doofenschmirtz 15:12 14:30 95 113
Xebeq 15:22 11:15 73 86
david.14587 15:57 11:11 70 83
New Driver 16:43 08:50 52 61
tomtom2 17:31 16:27 93 110
TonyK 19:42 17:50 90 107
david 20:27 17:49 87 103
bangsar DearHector 21:22 17:39 82 97
dominic.c-b 21:45 12:44 58 69
philby 22:12 25:15 113 134
pamelalewis51 23:16 21:45 93 110
maryht 23:26 15:31 66 78
DrAnatomist 30:56 16:43 54 64
IanV IanV 32:12 14:11 44 52
revolting tonic 37:51 24:25 64 76
Jikolp 40:56 31:34 77 91
crossworder 52:03 31:36 60 71

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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