A Puzzle by Buddy
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DT 31235 (Hints)
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31235 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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Toughie 3684
Toughie No 3684 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
For a Friday Toughie Sparks is being quite gentle with us today. Thanks to him. He often gives a Nina in the grid and today we have a Dylan Thomas play as well as a phrase which is used backwards in 3d.
DT 31234
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31234
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a fun Friday puzzle. Continue reading "DT 31234"
DT 31229 (Full Review)
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31229
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 2nd May 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A brilliant Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31229 (Full Review)”
Toughie 3683
Toughie No 3683 by Bandit
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Crackerjack. Bandit’s taken some big swings here with brio and invention. They didn’t all (quite) land for me, but most did. And one has to applaud such welcome novelty: smart, fair wordplay and some sparky definitions. SO refreshing.
I didn’t find this too tricky as 1a’s slight quirk set the tone from the off – it’s always a glorious sign when the first clue does that. Get on the setter’s wavelength early on, lap up a couple of gimmes and you’re away.
Added to which, he’s enabled me to self-indulgently clip G. Love, Rocky, Dury, Withnail, Loudon, Ivor, the Tour de France AND a spot of boss reggae … that’s a full house! So it could only be a fiver from me. With – I trust – 3ds at hand, the floor is yours.
DT 31233
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31233
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where it is still cool, in fact cool enough for occasional fluffy white precipitation but it is melting on contact with the ground.
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), once again not half of a Dream Team Thursday, Bandit on duty for their third(?) Toughie, but no doubt that this is the work of a very benevolent Master of Brevity and there is not an error in my Difficulty rating. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and appearances from the Queen and his swEetheart appearing in the back pager with an average of exactly 5 words per clue. Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
EV 1744 (Solution)
Toughie 3682
Toughie No 3682 by Django
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
DT 31232
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31232
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Wednesday back-pager blog. I found today’s puzzle to be quite tricky – a midweek mind-mangler – but it was a very satisfying solve. Amongst a plethora of excellent clues, my podium picks are 20a, 23a, 27d and my favourite, the weary threesome in 16a. I also enjoyed the Quickie pun. Many thanks to our setter.