Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31161
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 2.5* – Enjoyment 4.5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where with rising day time temperatures but below zero overnight temperatures we are getting into freeze-thaw cycles.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), the Master of Brevity has given us a very enjoyable puzzle. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, but only the sweetheart appearing in the back pager with an average of 5.27 words per clue. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3355 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where on Wednesday, after what seems to be the customary one hour delay for my flight from Heathrow to Calgary, my flight from Calgary to Winnipeg arrived 20 minutes early! However, definitely better than my ‘outbound’ journey two weeks earlier. The joys of air travel!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quite friendly with only, yes only, four anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and one homophone in a symmetric grid of 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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!
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3354 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
After a relatively brief visit to Baby Brother in Wincanton and yesterday’s excursion to BB17, a very good Sunday morning once again from the former Staines, Middlesex.
Thinking of BB17, another very enjoyable event so thanks to SJB for exhibiting his organisational skills again. A good attendance featuring a number of ‘old stagers’ including Weekend Wanda (I hope you found your way to Paddington Station without any problems), Gazza, and Rabbit Dave, and some ‘newbies’ as far as attending a BB for the first time is concerned including ALP, Steve Cowling, and Huntsman.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly with three long ‘uns, seven anagrams (three partials), two lurkers, and no homophones in the most asymmetric grid of 30 clues I have ever seen; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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, or it would be if I was not ecclesiastically socialising with my Big Sister, and the Naughty Step is OPEN! I imagine that crypticsue and Gazza could be standing by with their electronic blue pencils in hand.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31149
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ****/*****
A very good Thursday morning from Wincanton where we escaped the wrath of Storm Chandra, but only just, Yeovil about 15 miles to the SW, and beyond, did not escape.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), the Master of Brevity has given us an enjoyable puzzle which caused some pauses for thought for solving and parsing. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance of the Queen but not the sweetheart. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3353 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning, on my semisesquicentennial plus one, from the former Pack Horse Hotel in the former Staines, Middlesex – I have given up on all the name changes that have been made to protect the innocent. When I left Winnipeg, for an unexpected expedition of a journey* on Thursday afternoon, the temperature was minus 31 degrees, feels like minus 45! But the long range forecast does have it ‘warming up’ to minus 4 degrees for when I get back in ten days.
* For the curious – a ‘normal’ journey by air from Winnipeg to Heathrow involves two aircraft; on this occasion five aircraft were involved and two of them didn’t even leave the ground resulting in arrival at Heathrow 17 hours later then planned. The joys of air travel!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada reasonably friendly with the return of an ‘old favourite(?)’ that some of us love to hate, two long ‘uns and two almost long ‘uns, eight anagrams (three partials), one lurker (reversed), and no homophones in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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, or it would be if I was not ecclesiastically socialising with my Big Sister, and the Naughty Step is OPEN! I imagine that crypticsue and Gazza could be standing by with their electronic blue pencils in hand.
Continue reading “ST 3353 (Hints)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3352 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where on Friday, as my ‘subscription anniversary’ is at the end of the month, I had my customary annual long distance conversation with the DT Subscriptions Department to discuss this year’s proposal, notified in an e-mail earlier in the week, to increase my subscription by an eye-watering 325% more than I paid last year (no need to go to Specsavers, it really is three hundred and twenty-five per cent). However, after a friendly and polite conversation with a real person, my subscription for the next ‘subscription year’ will be 22% less than I paid a year ago! The mind boggles! I look forward to having a similar conversation this time next year 
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada less friendly than he was last week with one of his signature initial letter clues, eight anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and no homophones in a slightly asymmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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!
Continue reading “ST 3352 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31137
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg. No doubt that the Master of Brevity is today’s setter, but not the first leg of a Dream Team Thursday, Kcit is on Toughie duty, just a sprinkling of the usual indicators between this puzzle and the Quickie are in evidence. I haven’t calculated average words per clue – I am assuming it is 5 ± a decimal point or two.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable puzzle which caused several pauses for thought for solving and parsing. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3351 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where however much snow landed on us during the blizzard that we experienced a week before Christmas is being ‘topped up’ on a regular basis.
I hope that all those who ‘experienced’ Storm Goretti survived the ordeal.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada very friendly with four long ‘uns, four anagrams (two of the long ‘uns and one partial), two lurkers, and no homophones in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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!
Continue reading “ST 3351 (Hints)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3350 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where Boxing Week (when did that become a thing?) sales, some of which started before Christmas, are still in progress!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly again with, unless I miscounted, seven anagrams (three partials), two lurkers, and one homophone in a somewhat asymmetric 29 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid 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!
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!
Continue reading “ST 3350 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31124
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good New Year’s Eve morning from Winnipeg and welcome to the last back pager blog of the year 2025. Will the world be any different in 24 hours time? Heaven only knows.
But, what I do know is that at some time between midnight UK time and midnight Manitoba time this evening I will be raising a glass, not sure yet if it will be 15 year old Dalwhinnie or 12 year old The Balvenie so I will probably have to call on a shiny new King Charles Loonie to decide for me, to everyone involved with the blog in some way or other, including all of the DT Puzzles Team and Setters, and to the memory of our beloved founder and those who are no longer with us.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable puzzle. As I wrote two weeks ago, I have lost track of who set when on a Wednesday and no-one seems to have claimed ownership recently. This could be the work of Hudson or the work of Twmbarlwm or someone else. So, my Half Crowns are staying at the back of my sock drawer and I will just say thanks to whomsoever. As it is still the season of goodwill etc, I have tried to include as many illustrations and musical hints as Smylers and Huntsman – did I succeed?
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