Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26533
Hints and Tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Firstly thank you to Gazza for giving up his Friday slot so that I could do an ‘on the day’ review and also for helping this Luddite with the necessary technological wizardry. I thought this was a typical Giovanni puzzle with a very nice mix of clues, extremely clear anagram indicators and his usual religious references being especially relevant to today. Thanks to Giovanni for a very nice start to the day – just right for solving and then getting outside to enjoy the good weather!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26528
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
This was one of those Saturday Prize Puzzles that left me in a good mood for the rest of the day. It was fun to solve, with some very good clues and great penny-dropping moments. I then had even more fun working out the wordplay out for the review. Thank you very much Mystery Setter, more of the same please!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26522
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I found this one quite hard to get into and wasn’t sure what I thought about it when I had finished, mainly because I spent so long trying to ‘get’ 12a. A closer examination for review purposes has made me realise that it contained an entertaining mix of different types of cryptic clue, so thanks are due once again to Cephas for a nice Saturday puzzle.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2582
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment **/***
Unusually for me, this Sunday puzzle took a long time to finish, and others have subsequently confirmed my view that this was at the hard end of the Virgilius spectrum. I did have particular trouble with 9a and the very sneaky clue of the day that was 21a. Thank you Virgilius for a proper brain workout of a cryptic, my view of which improved as I prepared this review.
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Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 060
A Puzzle by Prolixic
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It is always great to open one’s emails and find one from Prolixic with the subject line containing the words “test solve’’. This particular crossword was entertaining from start to finish, with a great theme, and some very nice clues, so thank you once again Prolixic. Continue reading “NTSPP – 060 (Review)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2581
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
This crossword is a very good example of why Gnomethang and I have this complicated weekend-puzzle-blogging schedule – neither of us wanted to miss the opportunity to review such wonderful cryptics with all the clever clues and wonderful wordplay. Thanks once again to Virgilius for another Sunday treat – definitely the highlight of the cryptic solving week.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26504
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Another good Saturday cryptic from our mystery setter this week. Took a few minutes for various pennies to drop, but I had no problems after that. Thank you to the Mysteron for a good mix of splendid clues, which I had the great pleasure of enjoying twice while sorting out this review.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26498
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Although there was some muttering from the grumpy corner about this crossword, I quite like a gentler Saturday puzzle – why shouldn’t the old cryptic grey matter have a day off after a week of tussling with Toughies and the like, so thank you to Cephas. This crossword came with the added bonus of being a Pangram.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2578
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ****
Definitely normal service resumed by Virgilius today after last week’s themed crossword. A lovely start to Sunday morning with his usual excellent mix of clever clues, including a few headscratchers that caused me and others a bit of work. Thank you once again Virgilius for a great crossword which has been as much pleasure to review as to solve.
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Not The Saturday Prize Puzzle – 056 (Review)
A Puzzle by Prolixic
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Looking back at the notes I made when I test solved this one, I did find some of it slightly trickier than usual, but it was still very enjoyable as it has a number of Prolixic’s trademark clues – you can always imagine the twinkle in his eye when he set them! Thanks to him for another great Saturday afternoon diversion – can’t wait for the next one.
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