Month: June 2025
Toughie 3494
Toughie No 3494 by Dharma
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Times Setters’ Lunch – 24 June
In the years before Covid struck, Big Dave always used to organise an S&B Gathering at the George in Southwark on the same day as the Times Crossword Setters gathered for their annual lunch. Most people used to arrive around lunchtime and then wait for the setters to come to the pub.… Continue reading
DT 30950
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30950
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
Starting today I’m going to be your new Wednesday back-page blogger every fortnight alternating with Senf. I haven’t blogged a back-page weekday puzzle for many moons so please forgive me if my hints don’t come up to scratch.
We have a very entertaining puzzle today which is not too tricky and great fun. Many thanks to our setter (I have a strong suspicion of your identity).
Continue reading “DT 30950”
Sunday Toughie 175 (Review)
Sunday Toughie No 175 by Robyn
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 1st of June 2025
ST 3319 (Full Review)
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3319
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 1st June 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A straightforward and gentle puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “ST 3319 (Full Review)”
Toughie 3493
Toughie No 3493 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Wirral. Thanks to ALP for all the Tuesday Tutorials. … Continue reading
DT 30949
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30949
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
A bit of an overcast start to the day here in Harpenden but the sun has now come out & it’s brightening up nicely.
A typically enjoyable puzzle from the Prof (presumably) that ought not to present too many difficulties. Hints (hopefully correct) & the usual assortment of music clips are provided. I’m off golfing at Sheringham in Norfolk next week so Shabbo has very kindly agreed to fill in & establish an early lead in our race to a second ton. I’ve a busy afternoon ahead with the deep joys of doctor, optician & financial advisor but will try to keep an eye out if amendments required.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
DT 30948
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30948
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from my lakeside retreat outside Ottawa where the smoke from the western wildfires has abated considerably. Last week the smoke level was higher than the maximum reading on the scale and was simply cited as 10 plus.
Once again, the puzzle was posted late to the Telegraph Puzzles site. One might think the process would be automated but the task of releasing the puzzle seems to have been assigned to the night watchman who presses the button whenever he happens to wake up from his nap.
I got off to a quick start and thought this would easily be no more than a 2* effort but I was met with heavy resistance along the eastern seaboard which sent me into 3* territory.
I’m not making any calls on who the setter might be. To me, it doesn’t feel like any of the regular setters. Whoever did set it certainly went overboard on the pun – although 2 of the 6 words in the pun fodder transpose unchanged to the answer. The answer to the pun sums up my feelings on that very well.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.