Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27368
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
If you think this doesn’t seem like a Rufus puzzle, you are right. Rufus has told us that he is in the driving seat with a special puzzle tomorrow and an online-only one on Christmas Day while Jay, the Wednesday Wizard, has moved to today. It seems he felt that wearing the Monday Maestro’s hat meant that the puzzle had to be easy, and in that he has succeeded. I enjoyed the festive flavour.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2723 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a number of the more difficult clues and provide hints for them.
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Toughie No 1106 by Symphony
100 Not Out
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
All the Telegraph setters have combined to produce a special Toughie in celebration of the very first published crossword which appeared exactly 100 years ago today in the New York World newspaper on 21st December 1913. It’s not all that tough (it helps if you can get the two diagonal answers early) but it is tremendously entertaining.
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NTSPP – 202
A Puzzle by Alchemi
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27367 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Crossword Club
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Today is your last chance to enter the December Prize Puzzle.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
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Toughie No 1105 by Elgar
A Gem of a Puzzle
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Season’s Greetings from the Calder Valley! It’s Friday and at the end of a reasonable week of Toughies (with a bonus to come – more later!), it’s Vlad the Impaler with his latest teaser and it’s another cracker to start the weekend.
This is very reminiscent of one of the late great Bunthorne’s Guardian puzzles with a big anagram clue. Unless you are a student of poetry I would suggest tackling a few of the other clues to get some checking letters, and then recognising the quote from the words you can see, as I did! I also think there are a very high number of hidden answers to help give you a way into the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27366
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where at the moment it’s bright and sunny, but I don’t think it will last.
Another fine offering from the Don, with his trademark unusual word and religious reference. I had to think just long enough to get this into *** time.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27361
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A typical Cephas puzzle with lots of his usual anagrams. Didn’t take long to solve which was quite handy for a busy Saturday in the run up to the Festive Season.
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Toughie No 1104 by MynoT
Hints and tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Not very time-consuming. I don’t care for this grid with all the black squares. I feel as though I’m being short-changed. Mynot’s puzzles often have a ‘theme’ but I haven’t spotted anything in this puzzle. Have I missed something?
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27365
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
Apart from 13 down this was a write-in, leaving me plenty of time to get ready for a coffee morning.
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