Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26050 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
After last week’s major surprise, today’s puzzle was bound to be an anticlimax for me. I found this one easy, even though I hated the grid.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 8th October.
Continue reading “DT 26050 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26044 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Class
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: *****
Yet another relatively easy Saturday prize puzzle, but this one is very different. I spotted a theme within the first few clues, but imagine my surprise when I realised the extent of that theme. Suffice it to say that four of the answers are to be found in the first sentence of the About page of this blog! How can I complain about the names and places in this puzzle when most of them relate to myself!
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 1st October.
Continue reading “DT 26044 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26038 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Class!
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: ***
Once again the Saturday prize puzzle just about creeps into 3-star difficulty. The handful of proper nouns are all well known and there is no need this week for an atlas. One minor quibble concerns the long down answer – this is a saying with which not everyone will be familiar, so the combination of a cryptic definition and two double unches (two consecutive squares without a checked letter) will make it a struggle for some.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 24th September.
Continue reading “DT 26038 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26032 – Hints
No whingeing today!
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: ****
I actually enjoyed this one! The best Saturday prize puzzle in a while just about creeps into 3-star difficulty. The only proper noun is a Biblical character who is considerately clued as an anagram.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 17th September.
Continue reading “DT 26032 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26026 – Hints
Weekend Whinge by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment: **
I have been thinking for some time now of having “Weekend Whinge”, and today has offered me a good opportunity to start. This was very nearly a good puzzle, but a few issues completely spoiled it for me. Afrit, one of the founding fathers of the cryptic crossword, wrote “I need not mean what I say, but I must say what I mean”. In my opinion, the first three clues in today’s puzzle fail that simple test. I would like to know your views on this subject, so please leave a comment.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 10th September. Continue reading “DT 26026 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26020 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: ***
Saturday’s puzzles have improved since the number of names has been reduced – just the one boy today! Let’s hope that future puzzles are as good or better than this one.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 3rd September.
After reviewing the Saturday puzzles for over six months, this week Peter Biddlecombe is taking over the review of the Sunday puzzle. You have already seen that Gazza and Libellule have swapped the Thursday and Friday reviews. Next week Tilsit and I are swapping the Monday and Wednesday reviews. In addition Libellule will be doing his first Toughie review on Tuesday.
Continue reading “DT 26020 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26014 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment: **
The girls are back in town – or at least one of them – and you still need to keep your atlas handy for this Saturday puzzle. The grid is one of those dreadful ones that only the Telegraph, among quality dailies, still allows. This is four puzzles in one, joined only by the two long answers.
If you are using CluedUp today, then check the printable version for the correct wording of 9 across. This problem has now been fixed! Just why this site can’t handle accented words and randomly drops apostrophes is a mystery.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
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, 27th August.
Continue reading “DT 26014 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26008 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: ***
You still need to keep your atlas handy for the Saturday puzzle, but at least there are none of those girls’ names to contend with.
If you are using CluedUp today, the quick crossword is a little tricky to find. The one offered up is actually last Sunday’s Quick GK 108, but if you go to the main puzzles screen and click the right arrow, you will find Q 26008.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
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, 20th August.
Continue reading “DT 26008 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26002 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment: ***
A better-than-usual prize puzzle that, for me at least, was a little spoilt by cluing a place as “in France” when the place concerned has historical significance that surely could have been worked into the clue.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
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, 13th August.
Continue reading “DT 26002 – Hints”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25996 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment: ***
Once again we are presented with an easy prize puzzle. Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
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, 6th August.
Continue reading “DT 25996 – Hints”