April 2020 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 2428

Toughie No 2428 by Firefly

Hints and tips by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Firefly has set us what I found to be a proper Toughie crossword, with a double-unched grid and the need to solve 4d before you could get going on solving the Across clues. Continue reading “Toughie 2428”

DT 29351

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29351

Hints and tips by Kath

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating — Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Hello everyone. I think this was probably the most straightforward Ray T crossword that I’ve ever done – I was all hyped up for it to be a really tricky one like a couple of weeks ago and then it wasn’t!… Continue reading

Toughie 2427

Toughie No 2427 by Giovanni

Hints and tips by Gazza

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment **

Last week I commended Serpent for giving us a Toughie where the difficulties came from tricky wordplay rather than obscure vocabulary but this week we have just the opposite.… Continue reading

Toughie 2426

Toughie No 2426 by Chalicea

Hints and tips by A Queasy Queequeg

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Today we have a superbly accessible but just tough enough Toughie from Chalicea. There is a lot of fun to be had here but the number of reversals in this puzzle have left Queequeg feeling quite queasy.  Continue reading “Toughie 2426”

DT 29349

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29349

Hints and tips by Mr K

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone.  I hope you are all staying safe and well.  Quite a cultured puzzle today, with classical music, painting, and fair bit of history sprinkled across the grid.  But nothing too extreme, I thought.  I can't recall meeting a puzzle with so many proper nouns as answers, but then again my memory's not that great and I haven't solved that many puzzles.    Continue reading "DT 29349"

DT 29348

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29348

Hints and tips by pommers

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Hola from the Vega Baja where spring has sprung but the lockdown continues until May 9.  Temperatures forecast to be in the mid to high twenties for the next week with plenty of sunshine so if I have to be stuck in the house and garden at least it will be comfortable.

Like the last puzzle I blogged I found this one about average for both difficulty and fun factor so ***/*** seems about right again.  There’s a couple of bits of GK required and not many anagrams, but there’s a few gimmes to get you going so I think most of you will get on with it OK.  I’ll be interested to see what you all made of it.
Continue reading “DT 29348”

ST 3053

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3053

Hints and tips by Senf

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Until the Telegraph resumes the award of prizes for the Weekend puzzles, this post, and all other Weekend posts, will be just like the Monday to Friday posts, with hints for every clue and revealable answers.Continue reading