Enigmatic Variations 1760 (Hints)
Poster by Robyn
Hints and tips by Phibs
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This week I gave Claude the chance to impress.
Month: August 2026
ST 3382 (Hints)
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3382 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, after a ‘Soggy Saturday’, I am hoping for a ‘Sunny Sunday’ as I will be attending an outdoor memorial for the 81st anniversary of VJ Day.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly, with seven anagrams (four partials), no lurkers, three(!) homophones, and one that, at first look, you might think is a homophone but isn’t all in a not much value for the money symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand! You might even need your favourite e-search ‘assistant’!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
NTSPP 862
DT 31319 (Hints)
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31319 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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Toughie 3740
Toughie No 3740 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Thanks to Luxor for an enjoyable and quite tricky Toughie where my progress was steady rather than meteoric.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3740”
DT 31318
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31318
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Today’s enjoyable solve involved recalling several words first learned on Big Dave’s Usual Suspects webpage, along with one or two Google searches. Continue reading "DT 31318"
DT 31313 (Full Review)
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31313
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 8th August 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, lovely Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback.
Toughie 3739
Toughie No 3739 by Kcit
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
What a difference a day makes, eh? I raced through this. It’s all pretty fair and there’s no exotic vocab as such – I even vaguely remembered 26a. Moreover, the pangram was helpful. Now, I am not a horsey chap and this may well be fanciful overreach, but 1a and then 25d got me thinking. The latter (Sir Henry) trained 13a; and 12a, 20a, 8d & 9d were all racehorses. There may be others but my Google thumb was getting tired. Certainly, if there isn’t/wasn’t one called 11a (though presumably not 25a) I’m Kylie Minogue. But perhaps the heat has just further addled my brain. The floor is, as ever, yours to put me right …
DT 31317
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31317
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where we are enjoying seasonal temperatures with highs in the mid-20s.
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), Kcit on Toughie duty so not a Dream Team Thursday! But, there is no doubt that this is the very entertaining work of the Master of Brevity. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, but not the plain sweetheart, in the back pager. Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
Toughie 3738
Toughie No 3738 by Donnybrook
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
I thought this was a properly tough Toughie, for both a Wednesday and a Donnybrook