Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31121
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 27th December 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Wishing you all a Very Very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2026 from Kolkata. 2025 was an insignis annus for me. I passed my Master’s in Public Administration from the Indira Gandhi National Open University with the results declared in March 2025 and I will be getting the degree at the University’s forthcoming Convocation, expected in March 2026. I also passed the second semester examination of M.Sc. (Environmental Science) held in June 2025 and will have appeared in all the papers of the third semester before the publication of my next review. I also appeared at the first year examination of M.A. (Education) held in December 2025. Alongside my studies, I continued teaching the Portuguese language at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture here in the city and at the other end of the globe here at Big Dave’s Crossword Blog, sixty full reviews penned by me were published in addition to nine more of my puzzles (one in 2023 and seven in 2024) in Rookie Corner from where I earned a promotion to Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle with my first puzzle appearing on 6 December. All said and done, I owe a great deal of gratitude in this regard to my mentors at this world’s biggest and undoubtedly the best crossword blog.
A nice, brilliant Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31121 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3611 by Samuel
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
A very happy New Year to you all, one made brighter still by the appearance of Samuel – the one-and-only Chris Lancaster. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of his Toughies, so this was an especial treat. Suitably gentle-ish for January 1, and impeccably fair, but fizzing with wit, as one would expect. I particularly enjoyed seeing a grown-up set 3d, i.e, properly! All yours.
Continue reading “Toughie 3611”
EV1726
Gripping Yarns by Luxor
Solution
Continue reading “EV 1726 (Solution)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31125
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers and a very Happy New Year to you all.
I have been blogging the Thursday back-pager since August 2023, but I now need to pass the baton on. I have been invited to join the Telegraph team of setters and there is an unwritten, but understandable, rule that setters should not comment on other setters’ work. My first DT puzzle will appear in the Toughie slot on 7th January.
Naturally I am thrilled to join the group of setters, but I will miss my blogging duties, particularly as I now leave the coast clear for Huntsman to win the race to 200 blogs! I will not, however, miss setting my alarm clock every Wednesday evening! My thanks go to the BD management team for inviting me to take on the role in the first place and particular thanks to Gazza for teaching this IT Luddite the joys of working with WordPress. I wish my successor well.
What about today’s puzzle, I hear you cry? Good point, well made. This is undoubtedly the work of RayT as all of his trademarks are there. He has even excelled himself by smashing through the 5 words/clue barrier. If my calculations are correct, he is averaging a miserly 4.9 words per clue. Remarkable.
I found it slightly trickier than usual, but then I solved it at silly o’clock when I was woken up by the local celebratory fireworks at midnight. I hope you enjoyed it – the puzzle, that is, not the fireworks.
Many thanks to RayT and to the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 31125”
Toughie No 3610 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Continue reading “Toughie 3610”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31124
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very good New Year’s Eve morning from Winnipeg and welcome to the last back pager blog of the year 2025. Will the world be any different in 24 hours time? Heaven only knows.
But, what I do know is that at some time between midnight UK time and midnight Manitoba time this evening I will be raising a glass, not sure yet if it will be 15 year old Dalwhinnie or 12 year old The Balvenie so I will probably have to call on a shiny new King Charles Loonie to decide for me, to everyone involved with the blog in some way or other, including all of the DT Puzzles Team and Setters, and to the memory of our beloved founder and those who are no longer with us.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable puzzle. As I wrote two weeks ago, I have lost track of who set when on a Wednesday and no-one seems to have claimed ownership recently. This could be the work of Hudson or the work of Twmbarlwm or someone else. So, my Half Crowns are staying at the back of my sock drawer and I will just say thanks to whomsoever. As it is still the season of goodwill etc, I have tried to include as many illustrations and musical hints as Smylers and Huntsman – did I succeed?
Continue reading “DT 31124”
Sunday Toughie No 204 by Dada
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 21st December 2025
Nothing against the crossword; it was a good exercise for the brain cells, but I am not a fan of Dada getting both Prize Puzzles on the same day. As Huntsman said about the absence of a Toughie on a Monday, Telegraph Towers have a large enough roster of setters to share them out a bit more or even give a Rookie a shot!.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 204 (Review)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3348
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 21st December 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A fairly gentle puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and worthwhile comments. Continue reading “ST 3348 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3609 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Hello, good whenever and welcome from a grey, but calm, Wirral today.
Chalicea has turned up the difficulty dial a little in places for this puzzle; this is certainly not a Floughie, but was finished in just about in one-star time for me. Amongst a few “gimmes” are some slightly more unusual senses and at least one pitfall for the unwary solver, although nothing that requires knowledge of what I would class as obscurities. All very fairly and clearly clued, too. My podium places today go to 25a, 14d and 18d. Thank you, Chalicea, for an enjoyable solve.
As this is my final blog of 2025, I will take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.
Please let us know how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle
Continue reading “Toughie 3609”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31115
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 20th December 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A very pleasant 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 31115 (Full Review)”
