February 27, 2014 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 1144

Toughie No 1144 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

I filled in the two long answers immediately and thought that the puzzle was going to be a doddle. It turned out to be more difficult than that and some of the wordplay was quite testing.

Continue reading “Toughie 1144”

DT 27424

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27424

Hints and tips by Falcon

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***

Greetings from frigid Ottawa where the temperature is currently -15°C, but at least there is no wind. Today’s puzzle is undoubtedly from the mystery setter. I got off to a fast start, writing in several answers on the first scan through. However, progress quickly slowed to a crawl. A couple of clues required considerable research for someone from this side of the Atlantic.

Continue reading “DT 27424”