Toughie No 3611 by Samuel
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
A very happy New Year to you all, one made brighter still by the appearance of Samuel – the one-and-only Chris Lancaster. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of his Toughies, so this was an especial treat. Suitably gentle-ish for January 1, and impeccably fair, but fizzing with wit, as one would expect. I particularly enjoyed seeing a grown-up set 3d, i.e, properly! All yours.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31125
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers and a very Happy New Year to you all.
I have been blogging the Thursday back-pager since August 2023, but I now need to pass the baton on. I have been invited to join the Telegraph team of setters and there is an unwritten, but understandable, rule that setters should not comment on other setters’ work. My first DT puzzle will appear in the Toughie slot on 7th January.
Naturally I am thrilled to join the group of setters, but I will miss my blogging duties, particularly as I now leave the coast clear for Huntsman to win the race to 200 blogs! I will not, however, miss setting my alarm clock every Wednesday evening! My thanks go to the BD management team for inviting me to take on the role in the first place and particular thanks to Gazza for teaching this IT Luddite the joys of working with WordPress. I wish my successor well.
What about today’s puzzle, I hear you cry? Good point, well made. This is undoubtedly the work of RayT as all of his trademarks are there. He has even excelled himself by smashing through the 5 words/clue barrier. If my calculations are correct, he is averaging a miserly 4.9 words per clue. Remarkable.
I found it slightly trickier than usual, but then I solved it at silly o’clock when I was woken up by the local celebratory fireworks at midnight. I hope you enjoyed it – the puzzle, that is, not the fireworks.
Many thanks to RayT and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Toughie No 3607 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
A zinger from Django today – a real treat. I must thank the Telegraph’s top brass and one of our very own top brass – Gazza – for gifting me a copy to blog in advance. It has – just about – kept me out of the doghouse. I did make the mistake of giving a woman (i.e. my mother-in-law) summat with a plug on – a sin that my urbane godfather told me years ago never to commit. In my defence, I remain convinced she’ll learn to love it! Merry Christmas everyone.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31119
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers and a very happy and peaceful Christmas to you all.
Silvanus claimed ownership of today’s puzzle in last Friday’s comments. I found it suitably seasonal, not too challenging and great fun to solve. Perhaps he is being gentle with us, knowing that many of us will not have much spare time to sneak in a quick solve without getting told off by senior management.
I have added plenty of images to enjoy, as it is Christmas, but I hope that these do not give the answers away too much. If they do, please accept my apologies.
My ticks are for Prokofiev’s piece at 5a, the neat anagram at 15a, the rings at 1d, the setter getting fired at 6d and the seat that Starmer lost at 20d. Which did you like?
Many thanks to Silvanus and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Toughie No 3603 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
An absolute joy from Silvanus today. Very classy indeed. We’ve got sport, alcohol and naked dancing. What’s not to like? Just chuck in a board game or two and you’ve got the perfect Christmas! It’s all typically immaculate and fair. And, most importantly, great fun. Over to you.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31113
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers, and season’s greetings to you all.
I found this very straightforward, slowing only slightly in the SE corner. I even began to wonder whether it might not be RayT, but then the sweetheart appeared at 18d and a quick word count revealed a word/clue ratio of just a fraction over five, so all was well with the world.
Blogging is never a chore and when it is a choice between writing hints or watching the Test Match in Adelaide, it is a real joy!
Many thanks to RayT and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Toughie No 3602 by Weatherman
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A welcome return from Weatherman. As ever, the construction is immaculate and definitions fair, making for a steady solve. Yes, there is some pretty exotic vocab here – but it’s all generously clued. Still, I’ve tacked an extra difficulty pip on, largely for 5d and 9d. Typically, he’s made my bid to clip tunes extremely difficult, which no doubt comes as a great relief. Alas, I haven’t been totally defeated! Over to you. Continue reading “Toughie 3602”
Toughie No 3599 by Beam
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
As ever with Beam, this isn’t too tricky – as long as your phaser is set to synonym. Some are perhaps slightly more left-field than usual but nowt too alarming. Great fun to be had, with only a little thesaurus-thumbing. And not just one sweetheart today, but two, possibly to make up for the Queen’s absence! All yours.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31107
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Another lovely Thursday back-pager to keep us out of mischief today. Quite tricky in parts, but a most enjoyable solve. Smooth surfaces throughout and it’s definitely not RayT, so I will leave you, dear reader, to suggest a possible setter. So many lovely clues, from which I will pick 13a, 15a, 21a, 6d, 18d and 20d as my favourites. Which ones did you like?
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
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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”