Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30831
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
I loved this! My first ever 5* (I think) for enjoyment. I will happily forgo my blogging fee for today!
Silvanus is on Toughie duty today and this is definitely not RayT, so I am running a book on Guess the Setter. Senf has promised to bring a couple of toonies all the way from Canada as prize money, although he doesn’t know this yet! No point in trying to bribe me, as I have no idea who wrote this gem, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I found it quite challenging in parts, so no doubt there will be some who complain that it is too difficult, but I would suggest that you just take a moment to reread the clues and admire the skill of this setter. It is really difficult to pick a Clue of the Day, but if pushed, I would probably go for the very clever 9a. A nod of appreciation to the Quickie Pun as well.
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.
Great stuff. Thank you clever setter.
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EV1677
No Fine Feathers by Vismut
Solution
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Toughie No 3414 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Four quite difficult mini crosswords which I solved corner by corner in an anti-clockwise direction – SE, NE, NW, SW
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30830
Hints and tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where borrowing some words from John Denver:
All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go (well almost),
‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane,
But I do know when I’ll be back again.… Continue reading
Sunday Toughie No 155 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 12th of January 2025
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3299
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 12th January 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, friendly puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and significant feedback.
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Toughie No 3413 by Musaeus
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Not too taxing today despite the double unches (Musaeus seems to like ‘em) some quirky definitions and a handful of peculiar surfaces – 14a, etc.… Continue reading
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30829
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***
Another one in a consistent line of very enjoyable & pretty straightforward Tuesday puzzles from the Prof. I don’t expect it will present too many difficulties for most & I’d reckon it about on a par with yesterday’s production in terms of difficulty.
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.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30828
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where today I am covering my regular shift. Last week I was working Smyler’s shift in return for him having covered for me the previous week. I realize that I neglected to acknowledge this and thank him for agreeing to do the swap, so I will belatedly do so now.
The weather system that Senf described on Sunday is now arriving here although it has likely lost some of its bite en route. Sunday evening, as I write this, it is currently -12C heading for -19C (it will feel like -25C with the wind chill). That is absolutely balmy by Winnipeg standards (Oh, how I love to make our readers in Florida shudder!)
I presume today’s puzzle is the work of Robyn. I was well on the way to a one star finish until I hit the southwest quadrant which took as long to complete as the other three quadrants combined. However, in hindsight, I can’t explain why this should be the case. And I must not neglect to thank the setter for the name check in the Quickie pun.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
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A Puzzle by Munkleton
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Continue reading “Rookie Corner 562”