Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Daily Telegraph Vintage No 15
Hints and Tips by Rossophile
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***
A return to a more familiar puzzle for contemporary solvers. A tribute to this groundbreaking setter, who started a trend for modern crosswords. As a stand-in hinter working on a DOCX file, my illustrations do not get incorporated into WordPress, without some extra technical work. Here is a sample link to an illustrated solution.
Some solvers might find today’s cryptic crossword is * for difficulty, the only obscure word being a lurker. I wasn’t one of those solvers, which is why I’ve rated it **.
If any clues are baffling you, hopefully you will find éclaircissement below.
Daily Telegraph Vintage No 14
Hints and Tips by Rossophile
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** Enjoyment **
This was written the year after I was born. It might have put me off crosswords (and poetry) for life, had I been able to read and write. However, despite the unconventional clueing, here is my interpretation
Continue reading “DT Vintage 14”
Sunday Toughie No 185
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As I was solving this last night the following popped up on Bluesky;
Hi John
Assuming you’re on prize Toughie duty today, the interactive puzzle (Firefox / iMac) has ‘Kova?i?’ at 7d. It should be Kovačić. Obviously, some software doesn’t like the diacritics.
It’s fine in the facsimile of the newsprint version, so hopefully fine in the actual newspaper too.
Thanks
Michael
I hope that misprint didn’t affect your enjoyment of some lovely surfaces, and once I had revised my grammar prep and musical notation, I enjoyed this a lot.
Here we go, Folks…
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Stick Insect has been known to set the occasional numerical puzzle as well as regular cryptics.… Continue reading
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where the ‘back to school ads’ are starting to appear. Time for those who need to to start thinking about getting their offspring of all ages organised for September.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly with 2 long ‘uns, 8 anagrams (4 partials), 2 lurkers, and 1 homophone all in an asymmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints plus a bonus hint ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Daily Telegraph Vintage No 13
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
(I don’t often do ratings – your experience may vary)
The Telegraph crossword has a long history of paying tribute to, and being appreciated by, British royalty. George V’s Silver Jubilee on May 6, 1935, was marked with a special puzzle offering “praise and thanksgiving”. Queen Elizabeth is said to have regularly devoted half an hour to the crossword. For the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother, a special Telegraph crossword about her life was commissioned, enlarged and carried down the Horse Guards Parade. If Her Majesty glanced at the crossword on the day she acceded to the throne, this is what she would have seen.
I expect that one or more of the other puzzles mentioned in the DT preamble above will appear here soon. I am sure Rossophile or Gazza would welcome assistance with blogs. “A volunteer is worth ten pressed men.”
Several things in this crossword wouldn’t be allowed these days, but I do like the image of The Queen having a go at this before heading off to her coronation.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31001 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by Gazza)
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Crypticsue is busy today so it’s down to me to provide a few hints for the Saturday Prize Puzzle.
After last Saturday’s special Prize Puzzle we’re back to normal this week with a very enjoyable crossword from (I presume) one of our usual Saturday setters. There are seven anagrams here and I haven’t hinted any of them. If you’re really stuck on one of the clues I haven’t hinted (and you’re pretty sure that it’s not an anagram) I may provide a bit more help.
Continue reading “DT 31001 (hints)”