December 18, 2009 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

ST 2514

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2514

A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe

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

Apologies for posting late – got too involved in the live webchat and blog discussions of today’s Times puzzle.

This was a slow puzzle for me, as all the answers I found difficult were in the same corner – 4A, 13A, 6D, 8D. Solving these took about 4/3 of the time needed for the rest of the puzzle.

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Toughie 271

Toughie No 271 by Myops

So this is what an obstacle course feels like

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

Yes, I’m giving this five stars for a difficulty that comes partly from very clever and oblique wordplay and partly from some devilish obscurities that should have even experienced solvers ransacking their dictionaries. I’ve given four stars for enjoyment mainly because I appreciate a tough challenge, but I suspect there will be a few who found the whole thing a bit much even for a Friday.

Some of the clue-writing here is just awesome; while there may be no laugh-out-loud clues by way of surface readings, there are some epically imaginative constructions spiced with a great deal of originality.

This is a puzzle which on occasion pushes the boundaries and, for me, there are a handful of clues whose fairness is debatable.

So in addition to the usual blue for favourite clues I’ve used red to indicate those where I thought the solver was being tested a bit unfairly.

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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DT 26115

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26115

Hints and tips by Gazza

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

Another Friday and another treat from Giovanni – how does he manage to produce the goods time after time?

For new readers – if you actually need to see an answer they are hidden inside the curly brackets under each clue, to prevent your seeing them accidentally. Just highlight the white space inside the brackets to reveal the answer.

We love getting your comments, so please keep them coming.

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