Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27141
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where it’s bright an sunny, but still cold, with a persistent east wind. I’ve nearly finished tiling the kitchen, and am on grandfather duties this week, with small grand-daughter staying with us.
I found this mostly straightforward, but was held up on the last 4 clues, pushing the puzzle into *** territory for me.
March 26, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27135
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs, still bitterly cold, with snow lying on the garden from the weekend. I don’t think I’ll be planting potatoes on Good Friday this year. Still, at least we now have a functioning kitchen again.
I was held up by 16d, which pushed the solution into *** territory for me.
March 19, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27129
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs, where the day has started grey and misty – and we’re in the throes of having our kitchen refitted. The old cabinets are about to disappear into the large skip parked on our front lawn, and their contents are spread around the house.
Thanks to the setter for another fairly gentle offering, with just sufficient pause to put it into ** territory for me.
March 12, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27123
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where it’s bitterly cold, with a dusting of snow on the ground.
I found this a straightforward puzzle, the bottom half causing perhaps a little more thought than the top.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27117
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Thanks to Deep Threat for doing a swap with me this week – he’ll be here on Friday. I solved most of this puzzle in 2* time or less but was held up by my last couple of clues in the NW quadrant so I ended up giving it 3* for difficulty. How does that correspond with your experience?
February 26, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27111
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty */**- Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where it’s cold, grey and drizzly. Roll on Spring!
A straightforward puzzle today, and it’s a pangram.
February 19, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27105
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where it’s bright and sunny after a frosty night. Mrs DT tells me she is going to use a nuclear-fusion-powered airflow to dry the washing today. (She’s going to peg it on the line!)
Some quite long anagrams, and one or two slightly unusual words gave me a little pause while solving this, though when I then wrote the hints I began to wonder why I had hesitated. So **/*** for difficulty for me.
February 12, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27099
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where it’s cold and grey, with a light dusting of snow.
I found that the bottom half of this puzzle went in quickly, then I had to think a little to complete the top – and wondered why it hadn’t been evident the first time around. Those who don’t like general knowledge type clues in a cryptic crossword may have cause to complain, with a film title, a play, a composer and a dramatist among the answers, although only the play does not have a reasonable word-play.
February 5, 2013 – 11:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27093
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
Good morning from South Staffs on a bright clear morning.
No French cheese this week, and a puzzle which I thought to be very much at the gentle end of the spectrum, hence my */** marking.
January 29, 2013 – 10:43 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27087
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from a grey South Staffs, where it’s considerably warmer than it was last week.
There’s a mini-theme of the Wild West in the top half of today’s puzzle, plus one or two items which have featured in the last few Tuesday crosswords.