Toughie No 3595 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****/*****
I didn’t really need the byline – this was very, very Dharma. As ever, the definitions leapt out and the surfaces told stories, but some parsing needed (a little) teasing. There’s a pleasingly sporty flavour – football, rugby, racing, athletics, golf and tennis all get a look-in. But (I don’t think 3d really counts) no cricket? For shame! Cracking entertainment. All yours. Continue reading “Toughie 3595”
EV1722
Observer by Hedge-sparrow
Solution
Continue reading “EV 1722 (Solution)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31101
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
As I write, this, I have one eye on the cricket on the iPad. Who says men can’t multi-task? Mind you, if Brook attempts another ramp shot like that, the laptop might go out of the window!
Back to the puzzle. Despite the notable absence of the Queen, this is definitely a RayT production. He has even signed it with his alter ego at 4a. Elegant and concise as ever and not too difficult. My podium comprises 6a, 24a and 23d.
Many thanks to RayT and to the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 31101”
Toughie No 3594 by Prime
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers. It’s me again on Wednesday Toughie duty, stepping in for ALP/CS.
Pleasant Prime puzzle, perfectly pitched, posing particularly proficient problems. 17a was a new word for me, but it is fairly clued. The Barking dialect at 24a and the famous mother-in-law at 5d are my joint favourites.
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.
Many thanks to Prime and to the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “Toughie 3594”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31100
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from wherever I am. Oh, I remember, I am back in Winnipeg after my flying visit to Somerset which went something like this – flight delays; horrendous traffic on the M25 trying to escape from Heathrow at 3:00pm on a Friday afternoon; no access to hotel until quite late because of a Christmas Market; a beautiful wedding; meeting my two year old great-great-niece for the first time; an attempted murder; getting back to Heathrow much easier than getting away from it; more flight delays; arriving home at zero dark thirty yesterday morning.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), a very enjoyable puzzle which was just right for me as I might be suffering from jet lag and that will be the reason if you find any errors. We seem to be alternating between two setters on a Wednesday. I have a 28a left over from my visit to Somerset that is telling me that this is a Twmbarlwm production.
Continue reading “DT 31100”
Sunday Toughie No 200 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 23rd of November 2025
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 200 (Review)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3344
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 23rd November 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A truly tough yet entertaining puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of the same for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “ST 3344 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3593 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Welcome to the Toughie week!
Donnybrook has given us something of a challenge today. I found this to be much trickier than usual, and needed quite a bit more applied brain-power than I am accustomed to engaging before the morning tea has kicked in. It certainly wasn’t helped by having 1a as a “part two” of a later clue, which, perhaps irrationally, rather set the tone for a bit of a struggle. However, all of the clues are clear and fair, even if some are a little more left-field than others. I’m giving rosettes to 9a (for the holiday memories), 11a and 22a (for the surfaces) and 3d (for elegant simplicity). Thanks to Donnybrook for blasting away the mental cobwebs.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31099
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
After a thoroughly miserable day yesterday the sun is shining here in Harpenden so I might actually walk up to Harpenden golf club for a lunch with a friend without fear of getting soaked.
I assume today’s enjoyable puzzle is an Anthony Plumb production though some of the clues were wordier than is the norm for him. I found it reasonably straightforward & a brisk grid fill so wouldn’t expect it to present much difficulty to most solvers.
As ever there are an assortment of tunes/clips to accompany the (hopefully correct for a change) wordplay analysis.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
Continue reading “DT 31099”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31098
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty ★ – Enjoyment ★★★★
Hello from Ilkley, where we were delighted to discover the place we’d booked for a meal to celebrate the children’s performances in The Nutcracker has been crowned crowned the best restaurant in England.
Hints and explanations for today’s Telegraph Crossword are below. Everything on this site is provided free of charge by enthusiasts of cryptic crosswords who wish to share this pastime with others, and we don’t expect anything in return. But if you do wish to express your appreciation for Big Dave’s Crossword Blog, maybe you could make a donation to the MND Association, as part of the newspaper’s Christmas charity appeal for this year?
Crossword Editor Chris Lancaster has written movingly of life since his unexpected diagnosis with motor neurone disease just 2 years ago, and how the MND Association have helped him — so this is a cause close to those of us on this site. Click on the donation link above and you can choose for your support to go specifically to the MND Association or to be split between all of this year’s charities. Or if you prefer to do these kinds of things by telephone, there’s a number at the bottom of the article.
Continue reading “DT 31098”