December 2023 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Sunday Toughie 101 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 101

by Zandio

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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I hope this isn’t as hard as Zandio’s Friday backpager but I didn’t have time on Friday, this is definitely a toughie with some tricky parsings that needed a lot of thinking about. I went to sleep on a couple and hopefully, they resolved themselves in my dreams. We have Lego™ and lurkers both forwards and backwards and what appears to be a reverse homophone and a reverse anagram, if you have any queries just ask and I will try to help with the hints that hit the cutting room floor.

We  have 14a and 14d clues today and I will hint half 

I was refreshed by a high phenol Speyside Benromach and a morsel (massive slab) of Cheese with my Christmas Cake so my dreams were intense
Here we go…

Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 101 (Hints)”

EV 1623 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1623 (Hints)

Bus Stop by Chalicea

Hints and tips by Phibs

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Introducing Bus Stop by Chalicea: A Cryptic Cruise Through Commuter Chaos

Ah, the humble bus stop. A haven for weary travellers, a canvas for graffiti masterpieces (of dubious artistic merit), and, today, the unlikely setting for a cryptic conundrum courtesy of the redoubtable Chalicea. Buckle up, crossword comrades, because “Bus Stop” promises a journey like no other – a winding route through double deckers and daydreams, timetables and ticket stubs, all sprinkled with Chalicea’s signature brand of witty wordplay and devious cluing.

Forget your preconceptions of pastoral landscapes and leisurely strolls through the countryside. This is urban orienteering, where missed connections mingle with cryptic crosswords, and every discarded gum wrapper might harbour a hidden anagram. So, whether you’re a seasoned commuter with a well-thumbed bus pass or a wide-eyed newbie navigating the concrete jungle for the first time, prepare to have your preconceptions challenged and your vocabulary stretched to its limits.

Continue reading “EV 1623 (Hints)”

ST 3245 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3245 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

A very good New Year’s Eve morning from Winnipeg where the non-winter continues, probably related to 25a.

For me, and I stress for me, with the assistance of a wee dram of Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve Single Malt, of indeterminate age, Dada quirkily friendly – six anagrams (two partials), two lurkers (one reversed), and no homophones, all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.… Continue reading

DT 30496

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30496

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty **** Enjoyment **

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the last Friday of 2023, which means that today is the day for me to wish all members of the BD community a very Happy New Year. I thought that today’s puzzle resided at the more difficult end of the Friday spectrum, with several clues requiring some head-scratching and pondering to work out the parsing. It’s one of those puzzles where I schedule the blog at bedtime worrying that I’ve got some explanations wrong. I look forward to hearing what others thought of it. Continue reading "DT 30496"