Toughie No 387 by MynoT
Out of the frying pan, into the ….
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
ARVE Error: need id and provider
Having worked out that Mynot’s latest project is to work through the Classical Elements, and Earth and Air having already been covered, I was expecting either Fire or Water and it turned out to be the former. I have highlighted the main clues with a thematic answer in green. Although all three Fire signs of the Zodiac are all present, two of them appear in modern form.
Continue reading “Toughie 387”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26291
Hints and tips by Libellule
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment ***
I would like to thank Gazza for stepping into the breach yesterday after the various power cuts I experienced. But in repayment, I get to blog this Shamus crossword (a first time for me). First off all, the crossword is a pangram, but although this crossword is a good workmanlike effort, nothing really stands out for me. We also have a bit of a cornery grid, and I thought the cryptic definitions were a bit weak.
If you cannot work out the answer from the hint, highlight the space between the curly brackets.
Continue reading “DT 26291”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26290
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I was on the point of retreating to the garden (it’s another beautiful day in Devon) when Libellule contacted me to say that he’s lost power and can’t get on-line. So I’ve written this in a bit of a rush (that’s my excuse if you find any errors!).
I thought that this was a bit trickier than the usual Rufus puzzle, with some nice clues. Leave us a comment telling us if you agree or not, and please remember to grade it by clicking on one of the stars below.
Continue reading “DT 26290”
Wedding Bells
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Jane “Jetdoc” Teather and John “Elgar” Henderson will be getting married on Friday 23rd July.
Continue reading “Wedding Bells”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2544 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
For the second week running we have a topical theme! As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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.
Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 16th July.
Continue reading “ST 2544 (Hints)”
NTSPP – 022 (Review)
First Offence by Radler
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
A fine puzzle by Radler for a hot Saturday afternoon. There were some looser definitions but this did not detract from the enjoyment of the challenge.
There is a theme to the puzzle indicated by 14d / 24d. I did wonder about sampling each of the theme words but tried 20a first and could not be bothered with the rest!
If you try hard enough, you can also link 17a, 12a and 17d in to the general theme. I shall leave this as a gentle exercise for the reader!
Continue reading “NTSPP – 022 (Review)”
Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 022
“First Offence” by Radler
+– + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Welcome to the twenty second in our series of weekly puzzles.
This was the first puzzle that Radler compiled and he has recently revisited it to make it suitable for publication. Knowledge of the theme will assist in solving, but is not essential.
Continue reading “NTSPP – 022 (Comments)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26289 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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.
A full review of this puzzle will be published on Thursday, 15th July.
Continue reading “DT 26289 (Hints)”
Church Times – Crosswords
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Many of you will be aware that the Church Times publishes an excellent crossword each week. … Continue reading
Toughie No 386 by Petitjean
Nürburgring
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
A generous smattering of F1 references in this offering from Petitjean, and my first review of a puzzle by this setter. It was difficult to pinpoint an accurate BD rating and 4/4 may be a compromise. I have a little knowledge of motorsport so some answers were easier for me than they may be for others; combined with some obscure answers elsewhere you may find it warrants 5 stars for Difficulty. For Enjoyment I was close to giving it 5 stars as there are some lovely clues, and certainly no quibbles worth dwelling on. Perhaps what took the edge off was the frequent use of initial/last letters for the sake of tying in with the theme – when it’s not done well it looks a little desperate, and in fairness that’s not the case in this puzzle.
Immediately noticeable, on printing the puzzle, was a clutch of long clues. For me they ran to about ¼ of a second page (hence my brilliantly observed and impossibly clever choice of title) whereas previous puzzles have always fitted on one page with a little spare space above the footer. I’ve been called “Mr Short and Snappy” before – hopefully it was a reference to my cryptic clues – so very long clues can feel like a bit of a slog. But again, as with the initial/last letters thing, the long clues here didn’t seem tortured – in most cases they’re actually very smoothly presented.
I’ve highlighted my favourite clues in blue – please let us know about your favourites too.
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.
Continue reading “Toughie 386”
