DT Cryptic Crosswords – Page 3 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

DT 31262

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31262
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh

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BD Rating – Difficulty *  Enjoyment ****

Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog.  I must have been on the compiler’s wavelength this morning, because I found today’s puzzle to be fairly gentle for a Wednesday.  Amongst a plethora of excellent clues today, my favourites were 1a, 3d and 11d.  Many thanks to our setter.

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DT 31261

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31261

Hints and tips by Huntsman

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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****

After a reasonably bright start here in Harpenden it has just got very dark & another deluge looks imminent but at least the forecast suggests it will not last too long.

Having been alone in thinking last week’s puzzle didn’t have the feel of an Anthony Plumb production I’m pretty certain this one is one of his and very enjoyable it was too. Maybe a tad trickier than yesterday but there’s not much in it & impeccably clued throughout.

For any seeking a further challenge Ray T (in his no anagrams Beamer guise) is on duty over in t’other place with a very accessible Tuesday Toughie that is well worth a stab at. As ever Whybird will be delighted to hear your thoughts.

As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.

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.

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DT 31260

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31260

Hints and tips by Falcon

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BD Rating  –  Difficulty * –  Enjoyment ***

Greetings from my lakeside retreat near Ottawa, where I expect to spend the day relaxing in the warm sunshine following a cool, rainy weekend.

Today’s puzzle, a gentle mental exercise, eases us into our weekly solving schedule.

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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DT 31253 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31253

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 30th May 2026

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice and straightforward Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31253 (Full Review)”

Toughie 3699

Toughie No 3699 by Karla
Hints and tips by ALP

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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * Enjoyment ***

Bloggers have to keep their wits about them tackling Karla. Not necessarily because of the wordplay – which is very straightforward today – but because he often hides a subtle Le Carré-flavoured Nina in the grid. Well, I can’t really spot one of those. Perhaps you can? But … there is a four-letter word (plus “set” and, possibly, “it”) running diagonally from the top left corner which, when anagrammed with 1a’s second letter, should/could give you summat. I may, of course, be reaching. I briefly thought, on clocking 14d, that Smiley might be making an appearance, but the last three letters of the crossing 18a don’t quite get you there – unless you play with them. We’ve also got a flurry of names – Enid, Charlie, Juliet, Victor, Seal (possibly), Vogue, Oscar and Cindy – but it’s certainly not a band I recognise! The floor, as ever, is yours.

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DT 31257

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31257

Hints and Tips by Senf

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****

A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where thunderstorms are becoming more frequent!

For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), Dream Team Thursday seems to be becoming a distant memory but there is no doubt that this is the work of a very benevolent Master of Brevity with some lateral thinking required.  The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, and the plain sweetheart in the back pager with an average of 4.9 words per clue.  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!

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