Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Hints and tips for completing Daily Telegraph Cryptic crosswords
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
When I saw that Warbler was today’s setter I looked forward to a difficult puzzle. What I got was one that was, to me, easier than most of the regular daily cryptics. Just as Gazza vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for today’s cryptic (I had that as a 2 star!) I rounded this one up to 2 stars. Let me know what you think.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Another Tuesday and another fine puzzle, full of well crafted clues. After last week’s debate on how difficult the puzzle was I’ll be interested to see how people react to this one – I vacillated between three and four stars but eventually plumped for three.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I am sorry to have to tell you that Tilsit is back in hospital, so I’ve had to do this in a bit of a rush. Very much a typical start to the week from out “Monday Maestro”, but just about into three-star difficulty.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *
I know that recycling is considered highly desirable these days, but this seems to be a step too far!
See statement by Phil McNeill, Puzzles Editor for the Telegraph Media Group, below.
A full analysis of this puzzle will be available at 12.00 next Friday, 27th June.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Our Saturday setter shows what can be done, with the best prize puzzle for quite a while. Put the atlas away, and those books of baby names, all you need this week is to sip on a cocktail.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 25th June.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Our new Sunday setter is now so well established that the old-style puzzles are becoming an ever-dimming memory.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
My dislike of puzzles from this setter is well-known, so I will let you decide for yourself. I wonder if visitors to the Excalibur household are asked “Tea, a cup of, would like you?”.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Not as complicated today, although the grid was a bit “cornery”, there are some nice “gimme” clues available in all corners to get you started. For example 2d, 7d, 24a, and 12d. Mind you it still deserves three stars because after that you still have to tease out the other answers.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Decent grid, harder clues than usual for me – say 50% longer than a typical Saturday timing. Quite a few place-names, though I’d only count one as difficult. Last few answers in approx order for me: 11, 8, 1A, 5, 2, 4. (Dave says I should put A or D next to all the numbers, but I’m too good at choosing the wrong one and generating “You did really mean 8A didn’t you?” comments. So no letters from me except where they’re essential. Tough answer words or wordplay elements were: 8 (medlar), 11, 5, 23. Most of the clues were good, but some really let the side down.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A fairly entertaining challenge from Shamus, who always provides puzzles that are both fair and a reasonable test for solvers. I have to say I found this one a little easier than his usual challenges, but it did contaion things that made me reach for the Chambers.
Shamus is one of Azed’s band of solvers from the Observer every Sunday, and regularly appears in the prize winners for his monthly clue writing competition. Solvers may be interested to know that another of Azed’s band of regulars sadly passed away the other day. Dorothy Taylor, who was 98, had a rather particular claim to fame. Dorothy used to enter puzzles under her sister’s name Mrs B Lewis and her name was used, along with that of another eminent solver, Sir Jeremy Morse, by Colin Dexter, himself a regular Azed prizewinner. And so Morse and Lewis became famous.
[You can see a picture of Dorothy, with Sir Jeremy, in this post on Derek Harrison’s Crossword Message Board. The following entry in the same thread has a picture of her with Colin Dexter and Don (Giovanni) Manley . BD]