Toughie No 245 by Messinae
My Kingdom for a Norse
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Those who are having a struggle with today’s Cryptic may like to have a go at this one, which is in my opinion (which is of course totally subjective) easier than the Cryptic. I’ve only given it three stars for difficulty, rather than two, because it contains a couple of words new to me, but it’s full of well-constructed and very fair clues.
So, especially if you’ve never tried a Toughie before, give this one a go, and let us know how you get on via a comment.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26077
Enjoyable or 5 Down?
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley. I think I nearly had a relapse with today’s puzzle. Another grid that I am not too keen on, as you are only offered one way into each corner. With almost 50% of the answers you have neither the first nor last letter, and, with the exception of the two long answers, in the remainder you have only either the first or last letter. This to me adds additional difficulties in solving. The other problem is using the Clued Up software, you don’t automatically see the enumeration if the solution runs across two answer spaces, e.g. 1a and 9a.
As the setter is a very dear friend, I am used to solving some of his puzzles and he does produce some of the toughest around in the variety of dailies he sets for. I suspect here he is an acquired taste for some, and I hope you won’t be put off, particularly as one of the answers gives me a chance to play you one of the funniest pieces of comedy from TV history. If you feel you are quite blank with this, have a look at how one or two of the clues work below (especially the two log ones), and go back to it. I know sometimes when you look at a puzzle and don’t get much in reward, the temptation is to leave it, but persevere, it is worth the effort. If only for solving 20 across which made me smile. The puzzle itself is terrific and contains some wonderful clues.
As usual, you can have your say after the puzzle, and rate the puzzle using the star system. I know all the bloggers love reading what you have to say and it helps us pitch our blogs to you as well. For new visitors, your first comments always have to be moderated to prevent spammers gumming up the works. And if you wish to see the answer, it is hidden between the squiggly brackets at the start of each clue. Simply highlifght that part of the page to view the answer.
And if you do get really stuck, as the man on telly used to say, don’t have nightmares, and another will be along tomorrow, as will I with the Toughie!
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Toughie No 244 by MynoT
Why oh Why?
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
By the time I had worked out half a dozen clues, a pattern began to emerge. Ahh MynoT I thought. (Clued up doesn’t tell you who the setter is). Every answer has a “Y” in it, just in case you haven’t noticed.
I do think I need to remind everybody of a couple of comments from the last MynoT Toughie where all the vowels were “U”’s and also that it was the last Toughie in the “vowel” series….
Prolixic – “Maybe MynoT’s next challenge is to compile a grid where every answer has a Q or X or some other lesser used letter!”
Gazza – “I notice that there are no Ys at all in the answers, so perhaps MynoT regards Y as a sixth vowel……”
Looks like you are both “sort of” right.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26076
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A bit of a mixed bag today – some nice clues and a few that I didn’t like. If your bête noire is “double unches” then you’ll hate the grid.
As usual the answers are hidden (to prevent your seeing them by accident) inside the curly brackets – highlight the white space inside the brackets to reveal all.
Your comments, as always, are vital to keeping the blog lively and stimulating – so let’s have them in profusion, please!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26075
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
More Magic from our Monday Maestro. Start the week with this relatively easy puzzle that should give a lot of satisfaction to many.
Leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2508 – Hints
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
This one is not quite as challenging as several recent Sunday prize puzzles, but still a very enjoyable one to solve.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
A full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 6th November (Peter Biddlecombe is still on holiday).
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