Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31130
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** Enjoyment ****
Good morning and welcome to my first blog as an official member of the BD blogging team, although it’s my fourth effort overall – I blogged three of the vintage puzzles last summer, so I should be getting the hang of it by now! Many thanks to Gazza for inviting me to become a regular blogger, and to Shabbo, from whom I’m taking over (albeit on a Wednesday rather than a Thursday). I wish him well in his new role as a DT puzzle compiler.
I felt this puzzle to be the hardest of the week so far, finishing in just over 3* time. I especially liked the cricketing legend in 9a, the ursine visitor in 1d and the boring old Conservative in 18a, but my COD has to be the eccentric mind in 28a. Many thanks to today’s setter.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and indicator words (e.g. anagram indicators) are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons.
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Toughie No 3610 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31124
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good New Year’s Eve morning from Winnipeg and welcome to the last back pager blog of the year 2025. Will the world be any different in 24 hours time? Heaven only knows.
But, what I do know is that at some time between midnight UK time and midnight Manitoba time this evening I will be raising a glass, not sure yet if it will be 15 year old Dalwhinnie or 12 year old The Balvenie so I will probably have to call on a shiny new King Charles Loonie to decide for me, to everyone involved with the blog in some way or other, including all of the DT Puzzles Team and Setters, and to the memory of our beloved founder and those who are no longer with us.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable puzzle. As I wrote two weeks ago, I have lost track of who set when on a Wednesday and no-one seems to have claimed ownership recently. This could be the work of Hudson or the work of Twmbarlwm or someone else. So, my Half Crowns are staying at the back of my sock drawer and I will just say thanks to whomsoever. As it is still the season of goodwill etc, I have tried to include as many illustrations and musical hints as Smylers and Huntsman – did I succeed?
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Toughie No 3606 by Stick Insect
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings once again from the Wirral. Yes, you must be on the Big Dave De-colonised Universal Non-Patriarchal Behavioural Trait List, and you’ve got me blogging for a second day in succession. Things Can Only Get Better… but then look how that turned out!
Stick Insect, to whom, many thanks, has given us a very gentle puzzle by normal Wednesday standards, which made for a relaxed and enjoyable solve. The boundary clues were all solved pretty quickly which aided the process, with just a few that took a bit more thinking about (and which pretty much occupy my podium spots) but nothing too drastic. My prizes places go to 7d, 17a, with 25a with 27a equal at the top for their condensed cleverness.
Merry Christmas to all of the setters, bloggers, commenters and readers who don’t comment (and I’d love to hear from you)!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31118
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas.
I know that today can be a mad rush to get everything ready for the big day but I hope that you’ll have time between wrapping the last-minute present and preparing the sprouts to tackle this entertaining puzzle and let us know your thoughts on it. I enjoyed it a lot – many thanks to our setter.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31112
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***/****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where yesterday was shorts and tee shirts weather with a high temperature of plus 6 degrees, 33 degrees warmer than it was over the weekend!
Mainly for DG, I have read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley and here is my considered opinion. In her Acknowledgements, the author wrote that it was hard to write because of its complicated structure; for me, the structure also made it hard to read. It was not written in chapters but as progressive ‘intertwined’ narratives from several of the characters. I thought about giving up several times but then I was past the middle of the book; in a way, past the point of no return. Early on, I considered that a Cast of Characters would have been useful but that would have spoilt a significant ‘reveal’ concerning five of them just over halfway through. Not that enjoyable but not the worst either. What was the considered opinion from your book club?
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), a quite enjoyable puzzle with solving and blogging assisted by a 15 year old from the highest distillery in Scotland at Dalwhinnie. I have lost track of who set when on a Wednesday but I have an inkling that this might be the work of Twmbarlwm So, two of my Half Crowns are being retrieved from the back of my sock drawer. Thanks to him, or whomsoever if my Half Crowns go down the drain.
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Toughie No 3598 by Hudson
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
We have a fairly light but very entertaining puzzle from Hudson with many well-disguised definitions. Thanks to him.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31106
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg. Are you confused that I am back only a week after my last Wednesday blog, so am I. Not really, it is all in the interests of juggling assignments, Gazza is on Toughie duty, while Crypticsue is still hors de combat and I will be here next Wednesday as well. And, we wish Crypticsue well for her continuing recovery.
On the strength of a comment made by Daisygirl on Sunday, I have requested a copy of The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley from the Winnipeg Library. She, DG that is, didn’t say if she enjoyed it, I will let you know if I did.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), a very enjoyable puzzle. If my thoughts last week about alternating between two setters on a Wednesday are correct I would say that this is probably a Hudson production but he is on Toughie duty and he won’t always be doing double duty, will he? So, my Half Crowns, Toonies, and Loonies are staying at the back of my sock drawer. Thank you setter for an enjoyable solve and blog.
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Toughie No 3594 by Prime
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers. It’s me again on Wednesday Toughie duty, stepping in for ALP/CS.
Pleasant Prime puzzle, perfectly pitched, posing particularly proficient problems. 17a was a new word for me, but it is fairly clued. The Barking dialect at 24a and the famous mother-in-law at 5d are my joint favourites.
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 Prime and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31100
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from wherever I am. Oh, I remember, I am back in Winnipeg after my flying visit to Somerset which went something like this – flight delays; horrendous traffic on the M25 trying to escape from Heathrow at 3:00pm on a Friday afternoon; no access to hotel until quite late because of a Christmas Market; a beautiful wedding; meeting my two year old great-great-niece for the first time; an attempted murder; getting back to Heathrow much easier than getting away from it; more flight delays; arriving home at zero dark thirty yesterday morning.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), a very enjoyable puzzle which was just right for me as I might be suffering from jet lag and that will be the reason if you find any errors. We seem to be alternating between two setters on a Wednesday. I have a 28a left over from my visit to Somerset that is telling me that this is a Twmbarlwm production.
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