Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25889
Get your week off the ground with this typical DT cryptic
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Tilsit is still in hospital, but hopes to return next week.
Category: DT Cryptic Crosswords
Hints and tips for completing the regular Daily Telegraph Cryptic crosswords
DT Cryptic No 25887
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25887
A nice easy puzzle to end the week
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
DT Cryptic No 25882 – Review
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25882 – Review
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Another strange grid – if you don’t get the 15-letter answers, this is four separate crosswords, with uneven checking – the 9-letter answers are underchecked (4 of 9) and the 3s and 15s are overchecked – 3/3 and 9/15. And of course, the 4/5/7/8/10/…-letter words can’t come out to play.
Lots of the clues seem like gentle puns rather than really cryptic clues, and several of the more cryptic ones use words/definitions so close together that the clue is very easy or might lead to more than one answer Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25882 – Review”
DT Cryptic No 25886
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25886
Today’s hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A typical Thursday puzzle with some interesting clues but not too taxing.
•
DT Cryptic No 25885
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25885
Hints and tips by Libellule
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A very enjoyable crossword today with a good variety of clues. By that I found that both the variety of types of clues and the complexity of clues was very well balanced.
DT Cryptic No 25884
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25884
Today’s hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
This one is not overly difficult but has some cleverly-worded clues. I found it very enjoyable.
DT Cryptic No 25883
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25883
Today’s hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Tilsit joins us for the first time today. As I mentioned on Saturday, he will already be known to avid followers of fifteensquared, and his credentials include answering questions on Crosswords, as his specialist subject, on Mastermind. The standard DT Cyptic should be very easy for someone like him, but he faces sterner stuff when he does battle with a Toughie later in the week. BD
Thanks to Big Dave for his introduction. I hope these blogs live up to the high standard that he and the rest of the gang have set. Because of my other activities within the crossword world, I often get requests from solvers about the best way to start solving cryptic puzzles and my answer is invariably the same. Start with Monday’s Telegraph and Guardian puzzles, you rarely go wrong. That’s because they are usually set by one of the doyens of the black and white squares – Roger Squires. Roger (aka Rufus in the Graun) provides some of the most accessible and solver-friendly puzzles and amongst his talents, he is a master of a type of clue known as the Cryptic Definition, of which there are a few in this puzzle.
DT Cryptic No 25881
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25881
Hints and tips by Libellule
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Another enjoyable Friday crossword, a good mix of clue types, and complexity along with one new word for me.
•
DT Cryptic No 25876 – Review
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25876 – Review
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
For me, this was rather a disappointing puzzle. I’m not mad keen on the grid, with some 7-letter answers with only 3 letters checked, though some others have 5 checked letters. And like some other DT grids, it’s all short words – the longest entry is 9 letters. It does have a good side – the shortest answer is 6 letters so we get a day off from ERATO and tricky little 4-letter words.
DT Cryptic No 25880
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25880
Today’s hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Nothing too taxing or obscure and a few nicely-worded clues – what more could you want for a Thursday?