Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30888
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Morning, and happy Smothering Monday to any Spoonerism fans celebrating. I found today’s crossword harder than any recent Monday backpagers I can remember, managing only 3 across clues on my first pass (though I did better on the downs). However, a lot of my hold-ups were being unable to work out anagrams; those are often the clue type I find hardest but are many solvers’ first answers in, so I’m guessing many of you will find it easier than I did. If you’re also one of the anagram-averse, maybe add another difficulty star.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30882
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where the weatherman says we are in store for a mixed bag over the coming week – a bit of rain, a bit of snow, a bit of sun, and a bit of cloud with temperatures hovering around the freezing point. The weather may be cool, but the political temperature is heating up. Yesterday, our new Prime Minister not only called a federal election but announced he would run in the riding where I live.
I started off on a tear with today’s puzzle but soon found it became a bit chewier. All in all a very enjoyable solve from our new double punning setter. Last week, X-Type promised to return soon but I would surmise this is not one of his.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30876
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where the weather is unseasonably warm and our hockey team is contending for a playoff spot – which would be their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven years. How could things be any better? Oh yeah, I guess I can think of something.
I have no idea who may have set this puzzle. For reasons Rabbit Dave explained on the blog a couple of weeks ago, it is almost certainly not Robyn. I was only able to find one pun in the Quick Crossword, so (unless someone proves me wrong) it would not seem to be the setter who emulates the late Campbell by slipping in a second pun.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30870
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Hello. Today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword features appearances from Edward, Richard, Sarah, Mark, Leo, Jack, Charlie, and Daisy — is the setter paying tribute to a group of relatives or relatives? And if so, do they have a dog called Rover?
Today puzzle is by Twmbarlwm, making a swift return after being on Thurday last week. I seem to get on well with Twmbarlwm’s wordplay, but some others don’t; if that includes you, add a star or so to the difficulty rating.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30864
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where a brief spell of temperatures hovering around the freezing point has been superseded by temperatures in the negative mid-teens (Celsius).
Until proven wrong, I will attribute this very enjoyable puzzle to Robyn. After the appearance of a second pun at the end the Quickie two weeks ago, I was on the lookout today for evidence of a revival of this Campbell practice. I thought for a moment there might be one present today, but discarded the notion when I realized that one of the words from the grid would simply be used ‘as is’ in the resulting pun. So, although there is sort of a partial pun, I don’t consider it to be a true pun.
Look closely and you may find a clue somewhere in the blog revealing what I will be doing today.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30858
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Happy Monday, everybody. This weekend we went to a Miffy exhibition in Leeds, to celebrate the cartoon rabbit’s 70th birthday. I was particularly interested to learn how Dick Bruna coloured the illustrations by cutting out coloured sheets of paper (by hand) and layering them behind the black outlines transferred onto clear film. And that the wobbliness in the black lines was achieved by painting them originally onto bumpy watercolour paper.
There’s also some impressively layered clues in today’s today’s Telegraph Crossword, which is giving off the aura of having been dreamt up by Twmbarlwm. Lots of fantastic clues, with plenty of twists along the way.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30852
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where, as Senf said yesterday, we are experiencing a significant snow event. Following 30 cm or more on Thursday, we received a bit more on Saturday. The snow resumed on Sunday, with another 30 cm or more promised before mid-afternoon on Monday. Senf is also correct that I can’t blame this storm on Manitoba. Like most of our storms, it originated in the western United States. Contrary to what our neighbours to the south believe, most of the nastiness flows north across the border.
I’m not sure if we are seeing Robyn return to the Monday slot after a brief absence or not. Some clues feel like they could be his and others not so much – so I won’t go out on a limb with a guess.
In an unexpected development, we find a second pun in the Quickie today – something we have not seen since the Campbell era. It may be unintentional, but nevertheless it is a feature that Smylers and I will now need to be on the lookout for.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30846
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Hello to everybody who’s had a go at today’s Telegraph Crossword. If you’re stuck on a clue or puzzled by an answer, the hints and explanations below should help. And remember, don’t apologise or feel bad for looking at a hint: that’s what they are for! If it weren’t for Big Dave setting up this site and bloggers providing hints, I wouldn’t be able to solve cryptic crosswords now. Those dabbling in cryptic puzzles, and those completely baffled, are just as welcome to join in with the comments as the experienced solvers who haven’t required a Monday hint in years. It’s always lovely to receive comments. Please see the etiquette guide to avoid any faux pas.
The definition part of each clue is underlined. The (except this one) blobs are hiding the answers, so despite what they are instructing you to do, feel free to only actually click on them if you wish to see an answer.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30840
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where Winterlude, our annual winter festival, has got off to a very successful start. For the first time in three years we are actually experiencing winter-like weather – the ice sculptures are not melting and the entire length of the Rideau Canal Skateway is open. Temperatures are on bit of a roller coaster though with the daytime high cycling between -20 C and 0 C on almost a daily basis. To give you a taste, take a virtual stroll down Sparks Street as you watch the ice carvers at work and warm up by a fire while savouring Ottawa’s signature treat, the Beavertail (a delicious sugar-coated, deep fried pastry in the shape of a beaver’s tail).
I thought the puzzle was typical Monday fare although possibly lacking some of the usual sparkle – but perhaps that’s just me feeling a bit weary.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30834
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Hello, from a train hurtling up the East Coast Main Line, carrying a precious cargo of macarons back to Yorkshire from this blog’s Birthday Bash in London at the weekend. At the time this is published I should be somewhere between Peterborough and Grantham, if the service is keeping to schedule. And if the train wi-fi is working, I might even have had time to add some pictures or music to the hints below.
Thank you so much to Sloop John Bee and Elgar for arranging the Bash. It was so lovely to meet people in person. We must do it again sometime.
On to today’s crossword: hints and explanations are below, with the definition parts of clues underlined. Do ask if anything still isn’t clear, and let us know how you found the puzzle and which clues you particularly liked. Comments from lurkers would be as welcome as they are oxymoronic. Check the etiquette guide for house rules.
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