Answers – Page 728 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

DT 26704

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26704

Hints and tips by Gazza

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Some easy clues today, but some requiring a bit more thought. Your views, as always, are welcome.
To reveal an answer highlight the space between the brackets under the clue.

Continue reading “DT 26704”

DT 26703

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26703

Hints and tips by Big Dave

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Libellule is unavailable today, giving me my first opportunity to review a Rufus puzzle for some time. This wasn’t the simplest of puzzles, probably because of the double-unches and the cryptic definitions, but that didn’t stop it from being very enjoyable. My favourite clue was 1 across – let us know yours.

Continue reading “DT 26703”

Toughie 662

Toughie No 662 by Myops

Taken to the cleaners

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

I felt as if I’d been mugged when I finished this extra-Toughie from Myops. I wasn’t helped by the Telegraph Puzzles site giving the setter as MynoT – I spent a while looking for a D in every answer! The puzzle certainly grew on me as I worked on the review. There are still one or two that I’m not completely sure about.

Continue reading “Toughie 662”

ST 2612

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2612

A full review by Gnomethang

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Morning All! I got the impression form comments on the day that people found this quite tricky. I also struggled in place but as gazza pointed out “I think it’s a mark of a great puzzle if you struggle to get some answers but, when you’ve finished, you can’t understand why it took you so long because the answers are so obvious.”. Specifically here I think that the excellent surface readings diverted people nicely away from the real meanings

Continue reading “ST 2612”

DT 26701

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26701

Hints and tips by Gazza

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Good morning from a very damp and gloomy Devon. We have a pleasant puzzle from Giovanni to unravel this morning, including a couple of unseasonal cricket clues. What was your take on it?
To reveal one of the hidden answers just highlight the space between the brackets under the troublesome clue.

Continue reading “DT 26701”

DT 26696

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26696

A full review by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating –Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

I commented on Saturday that this would have been the perfect puzzle for Goldilocks  as it was a ‘just right’ mixture of cryptic clues, anagrams, charades and ‘what??!!’ to suit every level of solver.   Thanks once again to the Saturday Mysteron.

Continue reading “DT 26696”

Toughie 661

Toughie No 661 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

I worked steadily through this with the only hold-up being in the SE corner where I had to make up the answer to 25 across before I could get a handle on 23 down. An enjoyable solve that has a bit of an American flavour.

Continue reading “Toughie 661”

DT 26700

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26700

Hints and tips by Big Dave

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

I know I’m asking for trouble giving this puzzle two stars for difficulty, but I did find it to be easy! Ray T entertains us once again with the usual mix of excellent clues.

Continue reading “DT 26700”

Toughie 660

Toughie No 660 by Micawber

A Thing of Joy

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

I may have mentioned once or twice that Micawber is my favourite Toughie setter and this is a “thing of joy” (I’ve nicked Crypticsue’s very apt description to me in an email). It’s chock full of amusing and very clever clues but, as Toughies go, it’s fairly gentle.
Let us know how you fared with it and please take the time to click on one of the stars below to register your enjoyment (personally Oi’ll Give it Foive, as Janice used to say on Thank Your Lucky Stars).

Continue reading “Toughie 660”

DT 26699

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26699

Hints and tips by pommers

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Hola from the Vega Baja where it feels as though Spring has returned this week – I had my shorts on yesterday (not a pretty sight)!

Today we have an excellent pangram from Jay which isn’t very difficult, apart from a couple of trickies. I’ve given 4* for entertainment simply because when I realized I had filled in the last clue I had a real sense of disappointment that it was all over.

Continue reading “DT 26699”