April 2014 – Page 7 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

DT 27454

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27454

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Mindful of recent comments about difficulty ratings, I still think this is easier than a normal back-pager and is definitely one of Ray T’s easier puzzles. All of the usual features are here – the Queen, initial letters, hidden words, a homophone, touches of innuendo and a total lack of two-word answers.

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ST 2736

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2736

A full review by crypticsue

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

This puzzle was published on  Sunday, 23rd March 2014

There are many reasons why  I like to draft the review of a weekend puzzle on the same day that I solve it,  firstly so that my impressions of the solving experience remain fresh in my mind, and also so there are no last minute hiccups.  It also means that when reviewing a Virgilius puzzle as good as this one, I can have double the fun on the day, marvelling at the fine wordplay and surface readings –  I was so reluctant to put this particular crossword down, that this review was drafted before even a potato was peeled for Sunday lunch!

One expects clever cluing and sneakiness from Virgilius,  but parts of this were extra sneaky – the wordplay for 10a being a fine example.

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Toughie 1163

Toughie No 1163 by Dada

Blobby Returns

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

The only problem I had today was caused by my writing the answer to 6d in the 8d position (I must get some new specs). We’ve probably done enough moaning about Dada appearing to be Paul-lite so I’ll just say that there are some very entertaining clues here, and I did enjoy it, but it’s not really a Toughie and could probably have graced the back page.
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Toughie 1162

Toughie No 1162 by Giovanni

Religious Instruction

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Giovanni provides some religious knowledge in today’s puzzle – a minor hold-up in the north east corner was my only problem.

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DT 27452

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27452

Hints and tips by Gazza

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

With a mini-theme based on today’s date this is a bit different from the usual Tuesday offerings. It was definitely above average in difficulty for me (especially the LH side) but I enjoyed the inventiveness of the clueing. So thanks to the Mysteron (I have an idea who it may be, but I’ll wait to see what you think).
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