Sunday Toughie No 248
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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After a long day at the York Sloggers and Betters, I met old and new friends and would like to thank John Henderson and Jane Teather for organising this highlight of the cruciverbalists’ year. I was relieved to find a gentle Beam puzzle when I got home.
All the Beam™ trademarks are there, no clue over 6 words, queens, sweethearts and initialisms. I hope you will have 15a this quite easily, but hints for half of 14a and 14d clues follow
If you get stuck, I may be able to give a nudge, just ask
Thanks to Beam for pandering to my musical tastes with 10a – obviously it leaps to the top of my COTT
Here we go, Folks…
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 248 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1770 (Hints)
Discovery by Elgar
Hints and tips by Phibs
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Today’s setter has (I believe) only produced one EV puzzle before, The Bigger Picture by Enigmatist, published back in 2017.
Continue reading “EV 1770 (Hints)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3392 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, on Friday, we enjoyed a very pleasant 24 degrees while, yesterday, the mercury dropped to 10 degrees with a meagre 6 degrees forecast for today!
So, for those in the UK, were you all awake at 2:00am BST this morning for the annual ritual of turning your clocks back to 1:00am GMT?
For me, and I stress for me,© – well, I knew Dada’s friendliness couldn’t last and, sure enough, it hasn’t! A bit of a stinker even with eight anagrams (four partials), one reversed lurker (not hinted, so don’t forget the ‘if all else fails look for . . .’), and one homophone, all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, 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! You might even need your favourite e-search ‘assistant’!
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 3392 (Hints)”
A Puzzle by Prolixic
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Continue reading "NTSPP 872"
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31379 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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Continue reading “DT 31379 (Hints)”
Toughie No 3780 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Jezza’s pleas on Wednesday’s Toughie blog have been answered and we have an Osmosis production with his usual cunning misdirections and no anagrams. I enjoyed it a lot but thought it marginally less tricky than his previous Toughies – I’d be interested in your thoughts.
Many thanks to Osmosis.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3780”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31373
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 17th October 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, lovely Saturday puzzle from Twmbarlwm that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31373 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3779 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Another entertaining romp from Dharma that thrives on typically smart wordplay and fair definitions. Such generosity proved especially welcome as I’m currently dosed to the eyeballs – laid up with mild concussion and a knee the size of a beachball. Joining the wife for a spin to mansplain the gearing on her new Brompton, I idiotically cycled full pelt into a bollard as I barked faintly patronising instructions over my shoulder and somersaulted into traffic. That’ll learn me … possibly! Still, there is one vague upside – I’ve had to borrow the telescopic walking stick I gave my mother-in-law last Christmas and this daft reversal of fortune has cheered her up enormously. The floor, as ever, is yours.
Continue reading “Toughie 3779”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31377
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 1.5* – Enjoyment 4.5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where we are enjoying high temperatures of up to 20 degrees! But, it is not going to last.
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), another not a Dream Team Thursday with Dharma on Toughie duty. But, there is no doubt that this is the very entertaining and friendly work of the Master of Brevity. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen and Ray T’s swEetheart in the back pager. Nothing to excite the latent third formers among us. Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
Continue reading “DT 31377”