September 2024 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

DT 30732

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30732

Hints and tips by pommers

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BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ****

Hola from Almoradí.  I haven’t a clue how many of these blogs I’ve written over the years but it must be a few hundred by now and this is the first time I’ve ever had to do one on my birthday!  Yep, counting in hexadecimal I am 47 today!

Today we have another example of what has become the norm for a Monday puzzle.  It’s very well crafted and has a touch of humour but it won’t frighten the horses at all.
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Sunday Toughie 140 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 140


by Robyn

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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Robyn a little tougher than we get in his Monday guise (3d!) – but that is as it should be for a Sunday Toughie. I had a bit of trouble parsing a few (14a and 25a) but I think I have them now

Four different ways of indicating outer letters (4a 10a 24a and 3d) but they all work for me and some nice computer-related surfaces too, I was working with a high-level Windows user in 14a for a while until I chucked it out of the window

We have 14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half, I hope you find the checkers to finish this puzzle but I will remain on hand with a bonus nudge if you are stuck

Here we go…

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EV 1662 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1662 (Hints)

Invaders by Vismut

Hints and tips by The Numpties

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This is Vismut’s twentieth EV crossword and in the seven years that she has been setting thematic cryptic crosswords, we have seen them in the IQ, EV, Listener and Magpie series.… Continue reading

ST 3284 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3284 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where, after a couple of Autumnal days, Summer ‘returned’ with days of sunshine and temperatures in the middle/high 20s but it looks like Autumn will ‘regain control’ starting tomorrow!… Continue reading

Toughie 3348

Toughie No 3348 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza

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

A typically enjoyable puzzle from Osmosis which is perhaps slightly gentler than what he usually provides. The puzzle has zero anagrams, 25/26th of a pangram and a plentiful supply of abbreviations (I’m glad I’ve set up a shortcut for that word in Microsoft Word).

Thanks to Osmosis.

Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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DT 30730

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No Crossword 30730

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty **** Enjoyment **

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. I’d love to say that I sailed through this puzzle, but that would be a lie. The solve involved a fair bit of reverse engineering of some intricate wordplay, along with a dollop of electronic help. All that pondering left no time to search for pics, but I’m sure that the commentariat can provide a few good ones. Continue reading "DT 30730"