Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 090
A Puzzle by Prolixic
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Welcome to the latest in our series of weekly puzzles.
This week we have another excellent puzzle from Prolixic.
DT 26696 (Hints)
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26696 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
Toughie 658
Toughie No 658 by Notabilis
“Three words, darling; A-may-zing!”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****2
Greetings from the Calder Valley. Thanks for all the nice wishes and I am home from hospital, although feeling a little fragile, so our leader is going to assist with the Downs.
Today we simply have a thing of beauty. An absolutely stunning crossword from Notabilis, a ferociously tough struggle, but like the best meat when you dine, when you see the explanations for the clues, they fall apart beautifully in the brain. I know some of you will have probably given up but quite simply this is a puzzle by a setter at the top of his game, and I cannot praise Notabilis high enough for it. Thanks to Phil McNeill, the Telegraph Puzzles Editor, for publishing it.
ST 2611
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2611
A full review by Gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Afternoon All!. We had a fairly standard (not to say that it wasn’t extremely high quality) puzzle from Virgilius this week – no frills or gimmicks but the usual solid cluing, a couple of &Lits and very solid surface readings.
DT 26695
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26695
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I thought that this Giovanni production was an excellent example of how a puzzle doesn’t have to be difficult to be very entertaining. Your views, as always, are welcome.
If you want to see an answer just slide your cursor through the space between the curly brackets under the clue that’s giving you problems.
DT 26690
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26690
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating –Difficulty ** – Enjoyment */**
I thought I was going to be reviewing a Cephas puzzle as usual but this one was from a ‘new’ Saturday Mysteron, ie not the one I am expecting to review next week. I turned to the back page of the paper, keen to see what was in store, only to find …Â
Toughie 657
Toughie No 657 by Petitjean
Hints and tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I had no real problems with this one. I stalled briefly on the top half but soon got moving again.
DT 26694
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26694
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Two puzzles from Ray T in the same week – and I get to review both of them! This one has the usual double entendre and a trademark Queen clue.
Toughie 656
Toughie No 656 by Excalibur
Bob’s Your Uncle
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
Well, there’s one example of a weird surface (22a) and a couple of cryptic definitions which don’t work very well in my opinion, but on the whole I thought this one was pretty reasonable if not too stimulating. It’s not terribly difficult – I completed three-quarters of it in almost record time but then slowed down in the NW corner, so I think this setter definitely belongs to Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays (Puzzles Editor please note) – perhaps a swap with Beam would be in order? 
Let us know how you got on and please take the time to record your enjoyment of it by clicking on one of the stars below.
DT 26693
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26693
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Canada where we are bracing for the first frost of the season. Today, we have a quintessential Jay puzzle, populated with lots of charades, plenty of clues where one must either take or delete the first, last or middle letters, and sprinkled with a few substitutions (A for B type clues). It took me longer than normal to complete it – but that is undoubtedly due to attempting to watch a hockey game at the same time (and, yes, my team did win).