Merry Christmas – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas to all our readers

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Big Dave and the team of bloggers would once again like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A special thank you to all the crossword setters, especially to those who have taken the time to leave comments on the blog, and to Phil McNeill on this, his last, Christmas as Editor and his team at Telegraph Puzzles. The New Year will see the transition of power to Chris Lancaster, the new Editor.

If you are one of several thousand lurkers that visit the site every day – why not break cover and say hello!


Although the Daily Telegraph is not published today, online subscribers have been treated to not two but three web-only cryptic puzzles – a standard puzzle, to be reviewed by Miffypops, a Toughie by proXimal, to be reviewed by Big Dave, and finally an extra-beastly Double Toughie from Elgar, to be reviewed by Tilsit.  The reviews of the standard puzzle and proXimal’s Toughie will be published later today, but the review of Elgar’s Double Toughie will not be published until Saturday, 30th December, to give more time for solving!

36 comments on “Merry Christmas”

  1. Happy Christmas to all and thank you all for giving so much please throughout the year.
    I am an on line subscriber to the Telegraph but can’t find the extra-beastly double from Elgar. Help please?

      • Thanks Big Dave. I did find where it is but is it only accessible to members of the Telegraph crossword club and not members with an annual online readership?
        Sorry to bother you especially today.

  3. Happy Christmas, Dave and many thanks for getting me started this year as a compiler in Rookie Corner. Season’s greetings to all bloggers and setters.

  4. Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you to BD and his team for changing my crossword world for the better. Looking forward to another year on the blog.

  5. Hello, Telegraph Crossword Editor here.
    Thanks for your good wishes, Big Dave, and season’s greetings from Daniella and me. Congratulations on the blog’s ninth anniversary.
    Dear Charlie3110, a Telegraph Puzzles website subscription is not part of the overall Telegraph subscriber package. Information about subscribing to the Telegraph Puzzles website can be found in the Telegraph Puzzles website FAQs.
    Whenever we trail the Christmas Day puzzles in the newspaper, if there is space, we recommend that readers take a free trial subscription to the Telegraph Puzzles website in order to access them.
    If you have further queries, please email puzzles@telegraph.co.uk and I’ll answer today.
    Hope you enjoy today’s puzzles on the Telegraph Puzzles site. As well as the Christmas Day Cryptic and Quick Crosswords, we have a Christmas Day Herculis with its regular £50 prize, a special Monday Toughie, and Elgar’s annual Double Toughie — plus the ‘Win Prizes’ Cryptic, Quick and GK Crosswords which always start on a Monday.
    Merry Christmas to all!
    Phil

    • By the way, Young Salopian’s post regarding Cryptic 100,009 has reminded me that the Cryptic and Quick Crosswords (plus Codewords and Sudoku) are also on the Telegraph app, which is part of the overall subscription.
      All the best from Daniella Gomés and me.
      Phil

    • Thank you for popping in on Christmas Day. Perhaps, given all the free time that you will have on your hands come the new year, you could be persuaded to join us for the ninth anniversary bash? We’d love to meet you.

  6. There’s enough crosswords to fill my day but I suppose I’d better introduce myself to the rest of the family who I can hear downstairs.

    Merry Christmas to everybody & especially to Big D for providing what must be the best puzzle site on the interweb thingy.

  7. I was about to comment here as well when I was summoned for a game of Blockbusters. I had to pretend not to be Very Grumpy about that, but fortunately I wiped the floor with the opposition family so I’ve cheered up somewhat.

    Anyway, all I wanted to do was repeat what I’ve said elsewhere:

    Merry Christmas to BD and all the contributors and lurkers here.

    (If it’s not such a merry thingmas, see the message on my Gravatar profile.)

  8. I love the Cryptic Crossword and every year on Christmas Day it’s been a Christmas Crossword. I have been looking forward to it for weeks, why didn’t we get one this year?.

  10. Happy Christmas to all from me, and thanks to Dave and all the bloggers for another year of write-ups on the puzzles. Long may it continue!

  11. Happy Christmas from the East. Thanks to all who write on this site and help keep my grey cells working. By the way, I’m feeling particularly smug right now, having just finished the Boxing Day puzzle (28,616) before the hints have appeared – but I am 7 hours ahead of GMT…

  12. As (mostly) a lurker who only occasionally comments, I’d like to thank all of you who run the blog, especially for your help on the Friday Toughies. Merry Christmas

  13. As an almost daily lurker who never gets to the puzzle before 7.00 pm I find the help here usually enables me to complete in around an hour with only a few pieces of essential help.

    Thanks to all the setters and all the hinters and a Happy New 2018 to you all.

    • Welcome to the blog Acton

      On an average day we get about 7,500 visitors so, although we don’t expect to hear from all of them, it is always nice when we do.

      • Wow! That’s an impressive statistic. Well done and happy new year to you and your team. I visit most weeks and since I started using the site my solving skills have improved no end. Thank you all so much.

  14. Belated Christmas wishes to all! And my thanks to everyone for the help and encouragement I have received in Rookie corner. All the best for 2018

  15. I never thought the infallible Big Dave Elves would get stuck! Can we help? (I probably can’t help but I will try)

      • I thought you might be stuck on the double toughie!

        I certainly am… (three clues to go but lots of “I think that’s the answer but I’m not entirely sure why” and that was with three of us working on it)

        I’m suddenly extra appreciative of how fast the reviews normally go up! Thanks for all your hard work from a long time lurker who is slowly learning how to cryptic with your help :)

  17. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, with thanks for the tips, guidance, anecdotes and o banter!

  18. A belated Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all, and especially to those who contribute to the marvellous Big Dave site. I look forward to catching up with some of you later this month :-)

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