Toughie No 550
The Really Good Friday!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley and thanks to Big Dave for helping me out at short notice last Friday. It’s that time of the month! Elgar’s here to brighten your Good Friday and he’s produced a stunning challenge that contains lots to make you think with a big smile on your face.
Putting my nerd hat on, if there was such a thing as my favourite blocked crossword grid, this is it. I don’t think I’ve seen it in the Telegraph before, but it’s one that is often used in The Graun and was regularly used by my favourite compiler Bunthorne, who used the long answers to hide his trademark big anagrams.
We have a big anagram here today by Elgar and it’s one I haven’t seen used before in a puzzle.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2584
A full review by Gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Afternoon All! This was another very good Virgilius puzzle. There were no themes that I could see but it was a solid and very enjoyable puzzle. Continue reading “ST 2584”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26533
Hints and Tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Firstly thank you to Gazza for giving up his Friday slot so that I could do an ‘on the day’ review and also for helping this Luddite with the necessary technological wizardry. I thought this was a typical Giovanni puzzle with a very nice mix of clues, extremely clear anagram indicators and his usual religious references being especially relevant to today. Thanks to Giovanni for a very nice start to the day – just right for solving and then getting outside to enjoy the good weather!
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26528
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
This was one of those Saturday Prize Puzzles that left me in a good mood for the rest of the day. It was fun to solve, with some very good clues and great penny-dropping moments. I then had even more fun working out the wordplay out for the review. Thank you very much Mystery Setter, more of the same please!
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Toughie No 549 by MynoT
Hints and Tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
The last two MynoT puzzles were tinged with red and orange and so it seemed reasonable to assume that this one would have a yellow theme. So it proved. Several answers are things that are coloured yellow and others are words that can follow yellow. I found the puzzle to be fairly easy and it won’t count as one of my favourites.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26532
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Another excellent helping of Ray T today. I have a busy day and am going out to lunch, so this will be brief!
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I am sure you will join with me in wishing our wonderful host a very happy and enjoyable birthday today.
Toughie No 548 by Shamus
What a Difference a Day Makes
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
By common consent the back-page crossword by Shamus yesterday was a gentle but entertaining puzzle, ideal for newcomers. Today he’s shown his range and given us a proper Toughie which I enjoyed (and it’s a pangram). Let us know what you thought of it in a comment.
After yesterday’s Toughie, when there was obviously some “block voting” going on which made the whole exercise farcical, I’ll understand if you feel it’s a waste of time casting an individual vote to indicate how much you enjoyed the puzzle. However, if you’d like to, please click on one of the stars below.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26531
Hints and tips by pommers
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Buenas Dias from a gloriously sunny Cheshire, I seem to have brought the Spanish weather with me!
Maybe it’s just me having an off day, after spending 7 hours driving here from the far end of Cornwall yesterday afternoon, but I’m not at all sure that this is a Jay puzzle. I certainly found it a lot trickier than recent Wednesdays and it doesn’t seem to me to have the usual flair we’ve come to expect from Jay. I’ll be interested to see what you guys think of it.
Continue reading “DT 26531”
Cruciverbalists’ Convention
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It’s time once again for a meeting in London so come along and join us at the The Bricklayer’s Arms, 32 Waterman Street, Putney, London, SW15 1DD on the 30th April – any time between 12noon and 7.00pm.
All are welcome and you can enjoy a host of real ales. If the weather is fine you can sit out in the sun.
Continue reading “Cruciverbalists’ Convention (Apr 2011)”