Toughie No 142 by Shamus
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Nice to see the Toughie live up to its name today with a fairly challenging solve. As I am solving onscreen at the moment, I suffered several “Your solution is wrong” messages before finally getting the all correct one, which came as a great relief.
Incidentally, someone managed to solve the DT Wednesday Crossword on line in 2 minutes and 36 seconds according to the statistics. Presumably they will be taking part in the final of the Crossword Championships in Cheltenham later this year. Messrs Goodliffe and Biddlecombe should be quaking in their boots.
Anyway, back to today. I think we can put Shamus firmly into the Ximenean camp with this cluing, all absolutely sound.
Continue reading “Toughie 142”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25921
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
A superior puzzle with some very good clues and on the whole a really enjoyable solve. I’m left with the impression that the compiler wants you to do a fair bit of thinking outside the box with some of these main or subsidiary definitions.
•
Continue reading “DT 25921”
Toughie No 138 by Firefly
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Much irritation to start the day, on-line solving access to the Toughie is not available at midnight . As I have no printer access, I have to draw up my own grid and solve from the clues on screen.
There was much to be admired in today’s puzzle, but there were one or two quite major queries for me. I really didn’t like 1 across and I am really unsure of the definition of 12 across. I have also given up on 21 across after it nearly reacted with my sleeping medication to give me hallucinations.
I’d like to nominate 26 across as this puzzle’s entry into Clue of the Week. Certainly made me smile.
Thanks to Firefly for an enjoyable and thought-provoking challenge.
Continue reading “Toughie No 138”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25913
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A little bit tougher than the last few Mondays with some of the normal cryptic definitions requiring a bit more thought. Today’s was chock-full of double definition clues though.
Quite enjoyable and a fair challenge, so thanks to our Monday Maestro!
Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25913”
Toughie No 134 by Excalibur
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Greetings from the hospital again! I have quite enjoyed solving on line with the Telegraph site something I didn’t do prior to admission. Indeed my collection of 50+ pencils in their very own kidney bowl is a constant source of amusement to the nurses and worry to the Doctors, who feel I may have a touch of OCD. The fact that when I am admitted to hospital, the first thing I pack every time is my Chamber’s and Bradford’s is another worry for them too.
My initial solving reaction was that I quite enjoyed it, but as I have begun to look deeper, I find quite a few things that both trouble and irritate me.
Continue reading “Toughie No 134”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25907
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings to everyone from my local hospital. Unfortunately I was readmitted in the early hours of Saturday morning and am likely to be here for a few days yet. Rather than overload Big Dave with more work, I thought I’d try a slightly different approach.
I am a bit of a night-owl at the best of times, so I thought I would sign in to the Telegraph website, Clued Up, just after midnight, solve the puzzle on line and make notes, as I have no access to a printer. Three different browsers and 40 minutes later, I finally managed to get the crossword to load using Safari web browser.
A fairly enjoyable puzzle with a couple of superbly clever clues, but I also have one reservation in that I think you could technically make a case for either spelling of the word required at 5ac. As well as the usual smattering of clever cryptic definitions, I really liked 26 across as a nice neat clue, 10 across likewise. On the other hand I couldn’t see anything other than a single definition at 3 down and I’m not sure about 16 across, I have offered my interpretation below.
Thanks to our Monday Maestro for his usual challenge and I hope to see you all later in the week. Thanks to Big Dave for his assistance with posting this.
Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25907”
Toughie No 130 by MynoT
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Quite a thought-provoking and entertaining puzzle today from a setter known for producing some very challenging and difficult puzzles – last Sunday’s Enigmatic Variations puzzle of his is one that is certainly worth solving, if you have the time and patience. I found this a reasonable challenge with several new words and phrases, but it did contain another appearance of the dreaded indirect anagram (see the blog for Toughie 126!). I thought a couple of clues over-egged the pudding and I am not at all keen on one definition.
Continue reading “Toughie No 130”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25901
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A reasonably straightforward start to the week from our regular Monday setter. Lots of cryptic definitions and anagrams to give you a good start in completing it. My only grumble is with the grid itself; 18 answers each contain a double unchecked letter and if the cluing hadn’t been so solver- friendly, I could imagine I would have had trouble. 14 had me looking for something less obvious than it actually was, but generally a nice friendly puzzle after a weekend of solving some really tough beasts. Thanks to Big Dave for a nudge with 9 across. And now back to writing almost 200 questions for our local quiz league Individual Mastermind Championship.
Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25901”
Toughie No 126 by Cephas
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
Maybe it’s a hangover from the hospital, maybe I am just a grumpy old devil, but today’s Toughie struck me as being not terribly tough and was no harder than a weekend puzzle.
I found this to have a whiff of the curate’s egg about the puzzle. Very good in parts with one or two bits that left something to be desired. 1 and 8 across and 9 down were clever. I didn’t like 13 across as it contained a device called “an indirect anagram” (see below), which is frowned upon by most setters.
I wasn’t keen on 21 across and 7 down I have seen several times clued as just “Cha?”, at least this had a definition to accompany it. I like clues to have a nice surface reading wherever possible and this didn’t seem right.
The other thing I wasn’t over-keen on was the grid itself. I felt there were far too many black squares.
Right! Grumble over and let’s look at the clues.If you like to do this to music, may I suggest some soothing Anton Karas zither tunes…….
Continue reading “Toughie No 126”
News about Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – +
I have had a message from Tilsit to say that at the moment he is feeling much better, but it looks like it is going to be a week or so before he is allowed home.… Continue reading