Toughie No 3419 by Kcit
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
It’s Kcit’s turn in the Toughie slot. Thanks to him for an enjoyable puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3419”
DT 30837
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30837
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
RayT in relatively benign form today, I thought, but enjoyable as ever. He has averaged bang on five words/clue in today’s puzzle – quite remarkable.
I wrestled with the definition element of 21a for a while and needed the current Mrs Shabbo’s help with the house plant at 28a. My joint podium clues were the steamy photo at 15a and the snooker rest at 27a.
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. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, Ray.
EV 1678 (Solution)
Toughie 3418
Toughie No 3418 by Weatherman
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A nice Wednesday Toughie with a few clues where the solution was obvious but the ‘why?’ took a little longer to work out
DT 30836
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30836
Hints and tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from a still soggy Wincanton in flooded in places Somerset post Storm Herminia; I am hoping that my return trip to Surrey today is relatively trouble free and I will not need water wings!
For me, etc (I have to say that for Terence), another entertaining and reasonably straightforward Wednesday puzzle
At a recent event in W2, a little bird suggested to me that the Wednesday setter might be Hudson or Karla, possibly alternating. Is one of them today’s setter? As my ancestors would say – je ne sais pas. What do you think?
Candidates for favourite – 14a, 23a, 2d, 7d, and 16d.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Sunday Toughie 156 (Review)
Sunday Toughie No 156 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 19th of January 2025
ST 3300 (Full Review)
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3300
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 19th January 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Toughie 3417
Toughie No 3417 by Dada
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
A tad quirky, I thought, but crammed with Dada’s usual trademarks – a bombardment of double definitions and anagrams, plus a wee smidgeon of cheek and GK, hence the extra half-star.… Continue reading
DT 30835
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30835
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment **/***
Maybe it’s a case of the miserable weather putting me in a contrary humour but for me today’s puzzle felt if anything a tad pedestrian. It was of course well clued but I felt it lacked the usual dose of AP humour – or maybe I’ve just missed it. Either way pretty straightforward & I doubt that many will need the hints. Worth reading for the generous prize on offer for the first person to spot one of my parsing mistakes – I’m on a hat-trick….
In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.
DT 30834
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30834
Hints and tips by Smylers
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Hello, from a train hurtling up the East Coast Main Line, carrying a precious cargo of macarons back to Yorkshire from this blog’s Birthday Bash in London at the weekend. At the time this is published I should be somewhere between Peterborough and Grantham, if the service is keeping to schedule. And if the train wi-fi is working, I might even have had time to add some pictures or music to the hints below.
Thank you so much to Sloop John Bee and Elgar for arranging the Bash. It was so lovely to meet people in person. We must do it again sometime.
On to today’s crossword: hints and explanations are below, with the definition parts of clues underlined. Do ask if anything still isn’t clear, and let us know how you found the puzzle and which clues you particularly liked. Comments from lurkers would be as welcome as they are oxymoronic. Check the etiquette guide for house rules.