Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25924
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Given a 4-star difficulty rating mainly bcause it took me a long time to be sure of 9A, so the total time was about double my average for this puzzle. One of those rather odd grids that’s perfectly OK apart from the over-unched 5-letter words, but includes a whopping 16 7-letter answers, and only three other word-lengths. It’s easy to see changes that would both increase the variety of answer lengths and fix the under-unching.
Continue reading “DT 25924 – Review”
Toughie No 146 by Notabilis
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
An elegant and challenging puzzle from one of the best crossword setters and a personal favourite of mine. Some very clever and thought-provoking clues mixed with accessible ones provide a good challenge for solvers. The clues have beautiful surface readings as well.
•
Continue reading “Toughie 146”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25928
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Nothing too obscure or contentious today – what we have is a straightforward puzzle which should not frustrate regular solvers for very long, but which contains some entertaining clues.
Continue reading “DT 25928”
Toughie No 145 by Warbler
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A definite toughie today with several words which were new to me and a couple of familiar words with meanings that I did not previously know. All in all it is a fair and entertaining challenge. It definitely helps a lot if you can crack 5d and 9d early on.
Continue reading “Toughie 145”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25927
Hints and tips by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
This is the sort of puzzle that you come to expect in the Telegraph. Nothing too difficult, no awkward constructs, no obsolete or obscure words, no silly phrases, no proper nouns, no isolated corners, and certainly no sign of those love ’em or hate ’em unches! Just a good, honest puzzle. Well done our Wednesday setter.
Continue reading “DT 25927”
Toughie No 144 by Giovanni
Another great puzzle from Giovanni!
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
When I see that Giovanni is the setter, I know I am in for a difficult but thoroughly enjoyable puzzle. Today is no exception, even allowing for the fact that this interestingly shaped grid is more-or-less four puzzles in one. There were a handful of easier clues – just as well or you might never get started – but nothing so difficult that, even if you didn’t know the answer, you couldn’t work it out from the wordplay.
Continue reading “Toughie 144”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25926
Today’s hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
In his review yesterday tilsit introduced a phrase “double unch” (double unchecked square) which I hadn’t heard before and which I determined to remember for future use – well, I did not have to wait long, because today’s puzzle is full of them! It’s a bit of a curate’s egg really, with a few nice cryptic definitions and some attempts at misdirection, but some of the surface readings are pretty poor, notably 16d.
Continue reading “DT 25926”
Phil McNeill, the Puzzles Editor for the Telegraph Media Group, has issued answers to questions like “Can I use pencil or Tippex?”. You can read what he has said in Guidelines for the submission of Prize Puzzles.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25925
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
Very much at the easier end of the scale, the only thing that I suspect will hold solvers up today is the grid itself. What an abomination! Just under half of the clues contained a double unchecked square (known as a “double unch”). Indeed my record solving time for the Telegraph would have been beaten only for being held up with 5 down. I really don’t like grids with double unches and although I’ll tolerate a couple in a normal puzzle, surely this was too much.
When a previous Times Crossword Editor took over a few years back, he devoted a bit of time to revising all the Times stock grids. I think it’s time for the DT to follow suit.
Back to the puzzle. It being Monday we have the usual collection of cryptic definitions, which are fine, but I would rather have two or three a puzzle instead of the number we get. I always recommend the Telegraph and Guardian Monday puzzles as good places to start when solving cryptics but I sometimes fear that newer solvers are tempted to stick at this level when other puzzles adopted, shall we say, a more balanced approach. In addition, as my esteemed colleague Big Dave points out, sometimes the puzzle is weakened by these, 26 across is a good example.
That said, there are some lovely surface readings and constructions. Thanks as usual to our Monday Maestro.
Continue reading “DT 25925”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2483 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Another Sunday puzzle to enjoy while sitting in the garden in the sunshine. I even forgave the setter for including the now obligatory place name!
For the weekend prize crosswords I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full analysis of this puzzle will be available at 12.00 next Thursday, 14th May.
Some hints to get you started:
Continue reading “ST 2483 – Hints”