Cryptic Crossword Solving Trials
at the University of Buckingham
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A number of you may remember the cryptic crossword survey which we ran at Easter last year. In total we have about 750 completed responses to the questionnaire which is a very pleasing number. As a follow-up to the survey, we are currently engaged in lab-based trials at the University of Buckingham involving the filming of individual solvers as they wrestle with a daily blocked cryptic. We’re also getting participants to play a few word-games and to take a pen-and-paper problem solving test. The total time is about 2.5 hours.
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Toughie No 531 by Kcit
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I enjoyed this puzzle from Kcit although it didn’t take up much of my morning!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26506
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
We never did find out who the setter was last Tuesday and I’m not sure that we’ll fare any better with today’s puzzle. It’s pretty straightforward, so I don’t expect that the hints will be required too much!
Should you need to see an answer just highlight the space between the curly brackets under the relevant clue.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26505
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Usual stuff from the Monday maestro, with a nice mix of cryptic definitions, anagrams etc all with smooth surface readings.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2580 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 058
A puzzle by Radler
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Welcome back to Radler with another of his tricky but rewarding puzzles. I found this one took longer to solve than normal. In part this was because the device of having a central isolated grid meant that the grid was cornery and meant it was more difficult to get cross-checking letters.
Radler’s puzzles are at the more difficult end of the NTSPP spectrum. Although there is come complex wordplay in the clues, looking through them, there are some straightforward ones as well. Maybe one of the reasons that they are more difficult to solve is that you are never quite sure which is a straightforward clue and which is a complex one!
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Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 058
A puzzle by Radler
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Welcome to the latest in our series of weekly puzzles.
This puzzle from Radler lacks his usual trademark theme, but has a puzzle within a puzzle. Solve the outer puzzle first and then the clues for the inner puzzle can be constructed.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26504 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. I’m feeling generous this morning so there are a few more than usual!
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Toughie No 530 by Elgar
Fatal Distraction!
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley! We finish an absolutely brilliant week of puzzles with one of Elgar’s crackers. I thought that following the dazzling Dada debut would be tough, but Elgar has managed it with a puzzle that contains lots of really fine clues. Because there are two long answers that spread round the perimeter, they provide you with quite a solving foot in the door. There’s also a sort of sub-theme with a lot of the answers being of a Gallic nature.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2759
A full review by Gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another classic Virgilius puzzle that really does tick all the right boxes – It was even better when reviewing than when solving as I had cause to break the clues down and consider the merits. Apart from some well signposted tricky words I think most people found it relatively straightforward.
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