Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30922
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Apologies, but here I am again, standing in for Mr K who is under the weather. Get well soon.
I found this a bit of a head scratcher, but looking back, progress was actually quite steady, if a bit on the slow side. Of course this is nothing to do with an evening out last night with my brother and son around the wonderful pubs of historic St Albans.
I thought this was a lovely Friday puzzle, with ticks throughout. 1a was a great way to start and gets my CoD today, just beating 10a.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 30922”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30919
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Huntsman and I have swapped blogging days again this week. My brother is over from Australia and is spending Thursday with us. I would prefer not to spend a large chunk of the morning blogging when he has made the effort to make the long journey over from Perth.
Being less familiar with the Tuesday setters, I will leave you, dear reader, to make your own judgement on “Guess the Setter”. I found it a straightforward but enjoyable solve with 18a, 7d and 8d making my podium. A nod also to the excellent Quickie pun.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 30919”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30915
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Sorry, but it is me again, as I sneak ever closer to Huntsman in the race to 100 blogs. According to the stats on the Meet the Blogger section of this wonderful site, today will bring me level with him at 95 blogs each. Please don’t tell him though, as I might try to sneak another extra blog in during May to pip him at the post!
A beautiful morning here in sunny Hertfordshire and I believe most of the country is blessed with similar weather. A day in the garden beckons as soon as I have finished this.
I enjoyed the puzzle today, which seemed to be pitched at about the right level for a Thursday. It is definitely not RayT and something tells me that it is not Silvanus either. That leaves me bereft of ideas for Guess the Setter, so over to you, dear solver. Ticks from me for the anagram at 1a, the spoonerism at 2d (light blue touch paper and retire) and the Rhine swimmer at 4d.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 30915”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30913
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
I am standing in for Huntsman today as he is about to 1d in Portugal, provided that his flight was able to land given the power problems in both Spain and Portugal at the moment. Anyway, who needs Portugal when you have weather like this in the UK. Hard to believe that it is still only April (just!).
I found this to be considerably easier than yesterday’s offering. In fact, if you were to choose a puzzle to teach beginners how to solve cryptic puzzles, this one would be ideal. All scrupulously fair and clearly indicated. I will almost feel guilty when I take my pint off Huntsman for stepping in for him!
I am not convinced about the Quickie Pun, not having much use for such products, if indeed I am correct.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 30913”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30909
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
No prizes for “Guess the Setter” today – most of the hallmarks of RayT are in evidence, including sweetheart at 3d (although he is again teasing us on this one), single word solutions and brevity of clueing in the Cryptic and single word clues and solutions in the Quickie. Don’t waste one of your hard-earned loonies on this one, Senf.
If my arithmetic is correct, Ray has used just one word too many to average five words per clue. Surely we can find just one disposable word in this puzzle…?
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 30909”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30903
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
I don’t know about you, but I found this quite tricky, requiring my full attention throughout. That is not a bad thing, of course, particularly on a Thursday and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Perhaps the slightly unfriendly grid didn’t help, but more likely I was just being a bit slow to unravel some beautifully written clues.
Much to my granddaughter’s disgust, I had never heard of the film franchise at 2d, but the answer was gettable without this knowledge. The England cricketer at 17d of course posed no issues to this sportsman (retired!). For once, I will opt for the Spoonerism at 21a as my CoD – very amusing!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter for a very decent challenge.
Continue reading “DT 30903”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30897
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from sunny Welwyn Garden City. I hope the weather is being kind to you, wherever you are.
It didn’t take me long to realise that this puzzle is the handiwork of RayT, albeit in fairly benign mood. Please let us know how you got on. I am still struggling with the Quickie Pun. Any help gratefully received. The current Mrs Shabbo has come to the rescue!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, Ray.
Continue reading “DT 30897”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30891
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A most enjoyable puzzle and it’s definitely not one of RayT’s, so that leaves…
Ticks from me are awarded to 13a, 15a, 20a, 1d, 7d and 17d, with a double tick to 27a.
Great stuff!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter.
Continue reading “DT 30891”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30885
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from sunny Wells-next-the-Sea. We are getting our biannual Norfolk birding fix this week and the weather has been glorious, as Manders will confirm. For the birders amongst you, the star species to date have been pallid harrier, shore lark and black redstart, but birding is really just an excuse to walk in beautiful places and we have done plenty of that. This is the view from our lovely first floor apartment:
As for the puzzle, I found it very straightforward. Maybe it is just that the Norfolk air has cleared my cluttered mind, so please forgive me if you found it challenging. The brevity of clueing (5.1 words/clue), the single word answers and the single word clues in the Quickie suggest that RayT is our setter today, although there is no queen and the sweetheart is there just to tease us. With Silvanus on duty in the Toughie slot, Jane will no doubt be enjoying her cup of tea more than usual this morning. Some knowledge of the human face is required at 24a, 28a, and 24d, so perhaps a mirror might help? I would not suggest that you use it for 8d, though.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter.
Continue reading “DT 30885”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30879
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
As last week, this puzzle is definitely not one of the regular Thursday setters, so over to you, dear reader for “Guess the Setter”. I have no idea. Twmbarlwm, perhaps?
18 degrees forecast for us today, so if you need me, I’ll be in the garden.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter.
Continue reading “DT 30879”
