Toughie 291
by Big Dave
Toughie No 291 by Giovanni
Well, I enjoyed it!
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
Sorry for the delay, but it’s been a busy day today. I like my Toughies to be tough and this one certainly was. While you may not like some of the constructs, all of the clues were, as ever with Giovanni, fair.
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DT 26147
by Gazza
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26147
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
We have a pleasant and not too taxing puzzle today, with a few smiles along the way. Based on the pattern over the past few months it’s probably by Shamus (but that’s just my supposition).
We depend on your comments to continue to make this site the lively forum for discussion that it’s become – I know that I can rely on you not to disappoint!
The answers, should you need to see them, are hidden between the curly brackets beneath the relevant clues – just drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets to reveal.
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Online or Offline?
by Big Dave
Crossworders Stay Offline Except in a Pinch
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Following a recent poll AnswerBank have issued the following press release, which I thought you would find of interest. BD
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DT 26146
by Rishi
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26146
Hints and tips by Rishi
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Neat, clean, delectable – some words to describe today’s offering from our Monday maestro. Most of the clues are easy. Some have slightly tricky bits of play.
At one stage I had six clues to go. They were: 28a, 30a and 8d, 21d, 26d, 27d. Of these, the very last to go in were 30a and 26d.
The clues that I liked most are: 9a, 11a, 18a, 5d, 15d, 20d, 25d – all of which have smooth surface reading.
All the answers are here – except that they are hidden. To see any, please drag the mouse over the white space between the curly brackets.
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ST 2520–Hints
by Big Dave
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2520 – Hints
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
If you’ve never tried the Sunday Prize puzzle before, this one is a gentle introduction
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 29th January.
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DT 26145 – Hints
by Big Dave
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26145 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
Today’s Prize puzzle was neither difficult nor particularly enjoyable, but it was pangrammatic. Having spotted 4 out of J,K,Q, X and Z made solving one of the clues just that little bit easier!
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle will be published on Thursday, 28th January.
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ST2519
by petebiddlecombe
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2519
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another Sunday puzzle that’s easy for old hands but precisely clued.
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Toughie 290
by Anax
Toughie No 290 by Elgar
An A to Z of Stifled Giggles
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Seeing as Elgar and I evidently share precisely the same brain I just flew through this one with barely a pause, but that’s not always a good thing, you know. You miss things. You miss subtleties. You put in answers and don’t really understand why they’re right.
This pangrammatic Friday frolic was bursting with good moments although it’s a case of fingers crossed that by the time I reach some of the clues I’ll have twigged what was going on (although, in all honesty, 10a isn’t far away and that’s the first piece of puzzledom).
Favourite clues are shown in blue.
Leave a comment telling us what you thought. I don’t expect to see responses in the hundred but it would be nice to get well into double figures! You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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DT 26144
by Gazza
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26144
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
We have another entertaining challenge from Giovanni – what more can I say? Fridays and Sundays are definitely my favourite days for the Telegraph Cryptic puzzles. Let us know what you thought, and by all means criticise it if you don’t like it, but please don’t just say something like “it’s dreadful” – give your reasons and examples, so that we can get a debate going.
For new readers, the answer to each clue is hidden between the curly brackets under the clue (so that you can’t see it by accident). If you want to reveal it, drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets.
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DT26139
by Big Dave
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26139
A full analysis by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
One of the better Saturday Prize puzzles, but with a handful of difficult answers.
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