July 2011 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

NTSPP – 077 (Review)

Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 077

Rivals by Radler

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This week we enjoy one of Radler’s gentler puzzles.  The theme is based on a well known cartoon series with 11 rivals driving across America.  The themed clues are highlighted in blue and the two words leading to the cartoon series in red.
Radler received a rave review in a recent article by Anax on Crossword Unclued where he said:

“Sil van den Hoek. Boaz. Radler. Who? Who indeed. Well, these guys represent some of the most outstanding unpublished setting talent around, and we should all be enjoying what they do.”

Many thanks to Radler for another enjoyable puzzle.

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NTSPP – 077 (Comments)

Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 077

Rivals by Radler

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Welcome to the latest in our series of weekly puzzles.

This week we have a themed puzzle from Radler.  Although I was unfamiliar with the theme, I completed all but a handful of the answers before resorting to the relevant Wikipedia page.

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Toughie 606

 Toughie No 606 by Elgar

Putting the Pieces Together

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment *****

Greetings from the Calder Valley. Apologies for the slight lateness due to dental and medical appointments. Why is it that when I sat in the Dentist’s waiting room, all I could think of was Pam Ayres and her wretched poem?

It’s the return of the wonderful Elgar today and he has provided us with a really enjoyable challenge that is not one of his harder ones, although 25 across held me up for a little while. Today’s Toughie features a collection of phrases obtained by putting the answers together.

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ST 2598

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2598

A full review by Crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty **/***Enjoyment ***

Well this one certainly divided the blog posters on Sunday.   We either thought it was straightforward or tricky, the latter ‘camp’ finding  the right hand side being particularly slow in penny-dropping moments.   I was in the ‘tricky’ corner but having now gone through all the wordplay for this review, I am not entirely sure why.

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DT 26617

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26617

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

As usual Giovanni provides very precise clueing (note how he tells us exactly which letter to drop in 13a) in an entertaining puzzle. Let us have your take on it in a comment.
The answers are concealed so that you don’t see them accidentally. If you can’t get one, slide your cursor through the space between the brackets under the troublesome clue.

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DT 26612

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26612

A full review by Gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

Morning All! – My apologies if this is a bit short and sweet this week – New job has thrown up an enjoyable task but with a long drive in between!. The mystery setter has provided an entertaining puzzle that was of medium difficulty I think. I did notice the profusion of anagrams which might have suited some. Continue reading “DT 26612”

Toughie 605

Toughie 605 by Osmosis

Hints and tips by Bufo

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BD Rating – Difficulty ****Enjoyment ***

I found this one a bit of a struggle but got there in the end. I’ll be interested to see if others struggled or whether it was just me having an off day

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DT 26616

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26616

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty **/***Enjoyment **

For me this was very much a curate’s egg, with some good clues interspersed among the not-so-good. Two difficulty levels – the first for the over 55s and those who like anagrams, the second for the rest.

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