Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26367
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
I really enjoyed this nice Saturday puzzle – it didn’t take me too long to solve and had a nice mix of clues. I always imagine that someone new to the DT Cryptic might start with a Saturday puzzle as they would have more time to work out how the clues work. This particular puzzle would be an ideal one for a novice, but didn’t disappoint this experienced solver either.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26370
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I had a slight case of blogger’s nerves when I read the first few clues but soon settled down and thoroughly enjoyed Jay’s puzzle which has a very nice mix of clues including quite a few insertions and some very nice anagrams. Thanks to Jay for the very nice Wednesday work out – we do seem to be returning to the ‘old’ system where the difficulty increased on a daily basis with Friday being the ‘hardest’.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26355
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
When I had finished this crossword, taking twice as long as usual to do so(but still relatively quickly), I wasn’t sure whether I had really enjoyed the process or not. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one – comments ranged from ‘lacklustre’, ‘no pleasure’, and ‘boring’ to it being a ‘typical Saturday puzzle’. I tend to solve the puzzle on a sort of automatic pilot as, if I think about analysing what the type of clue is, I have trouble concentrating on the solving process; so don’t think about this until I do the review and my conclusions about this puzzle are given at the end.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26352
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Jay gave us a puzzle requiring quite a bit of thought which was a bit of a shock after three consecutive puzzles which took me no time at all – shame Other Dave wasn’t out of the office on Monday or Tuesday!! I didn’t notice when solving the puzzle but writing the review has made me realise that there is a slight leaning towards the United States today.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26343
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Another nice Saturday offering from Cephas. I did enjoy the solving experience as there was a nice variety of clues, some quite simple (too simple for some, apparently) and others to make you think, including the fairly unpopular 14a.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26331
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I know that giving this puzzle two stars for difficulty will not please many, but I have based this on my solving time and the fact that, apart from two clues which caused me an extra moment’s thought, I had no trouble at all with this excellent offering from Cephas. Just the right mix of clue types to produce an entertaining Saturday puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26328
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Our setters are giving us some very enjoyable puzzles so far this week. Today Jay has given us some great clues and, in my opinion, just the right amount of anagrams, including some of those part-anagram, part-something-else clues. Didn’t take too long to solve but still great fun – ideal for when you are supposed to be getting on with the day job!!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26319
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Like quite a few fellow solvers, it took me a while to get into the swing of this Cephas puzzle – I do believe he is making us work harder these days. I wasn’t entirely convinced I had enjoyed the process when I finished but there is something about writing the review that makes you appreciate the clues more than at first read through, and the realisation that I have actually noticed the pangram always makes me feel good.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26322
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **/***
I took a while to get into today’s Jay puzzle, the downs falling into place quicker than the acrosses but in the end it only took me a couple of minutes longer than usual to solve. I have based the difficulty rating partly on my initial struggle and partly on how hard it was to work out why I had the answer I had! There are a nice mix of clues, including several to please the anagram fans.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26307
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I enjoyed this Saturday’s offering from Cephas. It took me a little longer than usual to solve, thanks to some clever clues which took a while to work out and my trying to overcomplicate matters (see 2d below).
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