Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26119
All Puzzled Out!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Christmas is always a crossword fan’s dream. Lots and lots of special puzzles around and I currently have 14 waiting to be solved from last weekend. Many of them are Jumbos and barred puzzles with a theme and take a lot longer.
Of course the dailies still run on, and not many have a theme, especially here in the Telegraph. So in effect they provide a little light relief from the festive challenges. This was an OK puzzle, but didn’t really hit the heights for me and it was difficult to guess who the setter was there were no clues to really help me identify them.
One of my (admittedly small) grumbles today is with the cryptic definition at 7 down. I am a reasonably PC person and have to admit to being surprised to see that clue in the Telegraph, rather like yesterday’s CRINOLINE clue. Quite a lot of you will probably find it hilarious, but it isn’t my cup of coffee (I can’t stand tea!). Not keen on the use of “number” to indicate Personal Identification Number in 19 either. However it passed a pleasant few minutes and there wasn’t a lot to trouble me in there today.
Incidentally, if you want a cracking Christmas challenge, try Araucaria’s Christmas Cracker, which can be found here. Read that preamble carefully and get thinking!