Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31179
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
A really enjoyable puzzle which ticked all the boxes. Thanks to our setter.
Continue reading “DT 31179”
Category: Crosswords
Hints and tips for completing Daily Telegraph Cryptic crosswords
Toughie 3646
Toughie No 3646 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
DT 31178
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31178
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
Good morning from a sunny and springlike South Hampshire. Once again we have an excellent midweek puzzle, with some cracking clues. This was the hardest of the week for me so far, mainly because it took me a while to identify the Russian spymaster in 3d. The clues that made it to my (somewhat overcrowded) podium today were 4a, 9a, 2d, 14d and 19d, with 9a the winner by a whisker. Many thanks to today’s setter.
Sunday Toughie 213 (Review)
Sunday Toughie No 213 by Dada
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 22nd February 2026
ST 3357 (Full Review)
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3357
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 22nd February 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A straightforward and gentle puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “ST 3357 (Full Review)”
Toughie 3645
Toughie No 3645 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Namaste! Many thanks to Gazza for filling in for the past two weeks whilst I “trundled” around India seeing most of the cast of the Jungle Book, through some absolutely wonderful wildlife experiences– although the leopards weren’t black – and eating equally wonderful food . I thought I might return somewhat lighter and slimmer, but that hasn’t happened at all. Fortunately, the return flight from Delhi was direct to Heathrow, and the normal route is well north of the Gulf, so everything went smoothly. I’m disappointed to see I missed blogging a Tuesday Django – I’d been looking forward to that pleasure, so I hope the chance comes around again soon.
I was hoping for a gentle reintroduction to the blog, but that hasn’t happened. Dada has given us a quirky puzzle, which I think would have fitted in reasonably well later in the week. Perhaps the cough and head cold I have acquired, coupled with the “safari massage” my body has endured, has deadened my senses somewhat, but I found this rather tricky. My podium places are occupied by 2d, 16a and 21a today.
Thanks to Dada for a re-baptism of fire.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
DT 31177
DailyTelegraph Cryptic No 31177
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
Well I don’t know whether or not strictly speaking spring is here but after yesterday’s warm sunshine & a similar start to the day here in Harpenden it certainly feels like it.
I thought today’s puzzle (from Anthony Plumb I assume) about on a par with X-Type yesterday. As ever tightly clued & perfectly enjoyable albeit for me at least not hitting the heights of last week so it’ll be interesting to see what others make of it.
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.
DT 31176
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31176
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where, following a brief spell where the daytime temperatures got above the freezing point, we are about to return to more frigid temperatures. It’s definitely a long way from spring here. This idea of spring starting on March 1st that Senf mentioned yesterday must be an invention of British meteorologists. I’ve never encountered it on this side of the pond.
I will not hazard a guess as to today’s setter. Smylers figures that at least four setters may be sharing Monday duties. Unless a setter displays characteristics as distinctive as those of RayT, I am hopeless at identifying them.
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.
Rookie Corner 619
Sunday Toughie 214 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 214
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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proXimal is here again with all his Sunday Toughie trademarks. Tougher than usual I think, but not helped by my failure to find 27a in any dictionary! There appears to be a surplus I and the only source I can find suggests it is a common misspelling. Tomdisappointingsturges 65 will be very disappointed indeed if we allow misspellings to become commonplace.
We have 14a and 16d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to get across the line.
Here we go, Folks…