Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31087
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***/****
Distinctly nippy in these parts but it’s sunny & dry so looks like the last chance for a decent walk before the forecast rains tomorrow.
I’m sure most will make much lighter work of today’s AP puzzle than I made of it. I usually solve the puzzle shortly before midnight so that all I then have to do is get up & write the blog. Unfortunately for whatever reason the puzzles were not loaded onto the app until early this morning, which I could have done without after a lousy night’s kip. Added into the mix a fire alarm went off at about 8am in our small block of 6 apartments so 30 mins of mild panic & investigation ensued. Still none the wiser as to why but I’m fairly confident I’m not in danger of being burnt to a crisp 🤞.
I thought today’s dose of Plumbing as enjoyable as ever. Maybe a tad trickier than usual but we’ll see what others make of it.
Error free hints last week but I fear it’s odds against a repeat performance this.
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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Toughie No 3581 by Weatherman
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Whybird is away for a couple of Tuesdays and I have been entrusted with the responsibility of filling in for him. This is my debut on Toughie blogging duty, so please be gentle with me. I don’t know whether the DT uses different grids for Toughies, but I have never blogged a puzzle with only 24 clues. Sadly this and the lack of a Quickie Pun will weaken my negotiating position when I approach Gazza for a pay rise!
I got the four long answers first and then made reasonably steady progress until grinding to a halt in the SW corner. 17a, 16d and 18d delayed me for far too long but with hindsight, of course, they probably shouldn’t have done. It’s a good job the blogging deadline for Toughies is 14.00 and not 11.00!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to Weatherman and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31081
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ****
It looks like there will be some prospect of a dry(ish) day in these parts after yesterday’s downpours & with more in the forecast for tomorrow. The Algarve is looking more enticing by the day.
I thought today’s Anthony Plumb production very enjoyable indeed. Not too tricky but with maybe one or two things to keep us on our toes. As ever elegantly & precisely clued with some neat witty surfaces.
It remains to be seen if the hints are error free & there are the usual selection of tunes to listen to 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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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31077
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***/****.
After a couple of bright & unseasonably warm days it’s pretty dreary & miserable looking here in Harpenden so very much doubt I’ll be venturing far.
Shabbo is away to visit his mum but I do know it’s the opening night of a beer festival that is run by his brother so I expect a pint or two or three will be enjoyed. Anyway you’re stuck with me & I was more than happy to get a pretty gentle Ray T puzzle to blog. He has been a bit sneaky with his sweethearts but other than the music genre nothing really obscure. As you would expect impeccably clued & perfectly enjoyable.
As ever there are an assortment of tunes to accompany the (hopefully correct for a change) hints.
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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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31075
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Don’t worry, you haven’t lost a couple of days. I can confirm that it is definitely Tuesday today. Huntsman has kindly agreed to swap blogging days this week, as I am away on Thursday.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. I found it to be a straightforward solve, but it has some lovely smooth and humorous surfaces, proving once again that a puzzle does not have to be difficult to be enjoyable. My ticks are for 12a, 1d, 3d, 18d and 25d, but I could have listed many more. Which clues did you like?
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31069
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***/****.
A lovely bright & sunny autumnal day here in Harpenden. No golf unfortunately as my back is playing up once more & I’ve the flu & possibly Covid jab to look forward to this afternoon.
I thought today’s Anthony Plumb puzzle perhaps a tad trickier than of late but maybe that was just me. As ever there are an assortment of tunes to accompany the (hopefully correct for a change) hints.
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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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31063
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***/****.
The sun is at least struggling to put in an appearance & it’s not currently raining here in Harpenden but it looks like that’s but a temporary respite with more wet stuff on the way over the next couple of days. A few days golf in Portugal is starting to look more alluring by the day.
As our esteemed Sat or Sun even & alternate Wed blogger would say a typically Tuesdayish bit of Plumbing from the Prof that ought not to present too many difficulties for most solvers. As ever concisely clued with some neat wordplay & dashes of humour. For any that waltzed through this one Dada is over in t’other place with a Toughie that’s very manageable & I’m sure Whybird would appreciate your comments.
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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Toughie No 3565 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to the Toughie week. Autumn is well underway on the Wirral, and the redwings are pouring in (or over/through).
Donnybrook has given us a fairly gentle and enjoyable start to this week’s proceedings. Despite my terror at seeing linked clues, these were on the mild side and provided a good way in, helped by twigging 1a straightaway. Spotting a couple of “high score” Scrabble letters had me wondering about pangrams, but I can’t see anything unusual on that front.
6d is a clear winner for me today, although the answer to 2d is a top word! Thanks to Donnybrook for easing us in nicely.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31057
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
A pretty miserable looking start to the day here in Harpenden so can’t muster up any enthusiasm for golf this afternoon.
Today’s offering from our regular Tuesday compiler is, in my view, pretty much on a par with yesterday’s puzzle in terms of difficulty. As ever concisely clued & entertaining with perhaps slightly more straightforward wordplay than can sometimes be the case with Anthony Plumb puzzles. I don’t anticipate many will require any help from the (hopefully correct) hints below but they’re there with the usual assortment of tunes.
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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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31051
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
I’m on Tuesday blogging duty today, as Huntsman is away for a few days’ golf on some of the excellent courses on the beautiful North Norfolk coast. If the weather up there is as good as it is here, he is in for a lovely few days.
I found this a bit trickier than normal for a Tuesday, or maybe it’s just me being a bit slow out of the blocks this morning? It was a bit disconcerting when 1a took me ages to parse, but in retrospect, it shouldn’t have done. There is an unindicated Americanism which might irk RD, but as it is in the Quickie Pun, I think our setter is off the hook!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
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