Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26253
A full review by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Quite often if the Friday Cryptic and Toughie have been particularly testing, the Saturday Prize Puzzle can seem a bit easier in comparison. DT 26,252 and Toughie 362 were splendid examples of the compiler’s art so I started this Saturday’s puzzle expecting a less taxing challenge. How wrong I was, there was a complete range of interesting clues and more exciting for me, as I wasn’t aware of such a thing until I became a fan of Big Dave’s blog, was that the puzzle is a Pangram! Thanks too to Gnomethang for giving me the chance to practice my reviewing skills.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Toughie No 364 by Osmosis
Let’s Play a Game of Reversi
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
I know that Osmosis is not everyone’s cup of tea with his complicated wordplay and seemingly endless supply of reversals, but I normally enjoy battling with him and I enjoyed this one. Let us know what you thought of it, and please remember to click on one of the five stars below.
I won’t be blogging again until next Tuesday, since Gnomethang is standing in for me on the Friday Cryptic.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26256
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Light relief for some after yesterday, this is a reasonably straightforward puzzle from Jay.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Toughie No 363 by Cephas
Get out of the Kitchen!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
As well as a trademark Geography lesson, today’s rather easy puzzle from Cephas features kitchen utensils in the wordplay.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26255
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Shamus has given us a good workout today with a slightly more difficult puzzle than his usual fare. Of course, that’s just my opinion, and whether you agree or disagree we’d love to hear your views.
As always the answers are present, but hidden, inside the curly brackets under each clue. Just drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets to reveal.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26254
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
[In case you missed Crypticsue’s first appearance last Thursday, she has joined the team as our first lady blogger. Other commitments mean that she will only be able to contribute occasionally, and Libellule has stepped aside today to allow her to take advantage of the Spring Bank Holiday. She will be back on Thursday with a review of last Saturday’s puzzle and is then off on holiday (lucky her!)]
Ten days ago, I was just Sue, a long time fan of the DT cryptic (40 years which apparently equates to over 10,000 puzzles, even allowing for time off for good behaviour), when following an email approach by Big Dave to confirm whether his detective work was right and I would be too busy to be a reviewer (he was), I couldn’t resist a challenge and am now Crypticsue, the first lady reviewer on his blog, here with my comments on today’s puzzle. Despite my long experience, I was quite nervous this morning but needn’t have worried, Rufus has given us all, novice reviewer, experienced and non-experienced puzzle solvers alike, a very nice Bank Holiday puzzle, with a good mix of clues, some straightforward and some needing a little deliberation.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26253 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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A few hints to get you going.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle will be published on Thursday, 3rd June.
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Toughie No 362 by Micawber
As Time Goes By
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Another tour-de-force from Micawber. Perhaps not as difficult as he can sometimes be, but as inventive as always with some cracking clues. I loved it – let us know what you thought of it!
A very big thanks to Gnomethang, languishing on his day off somewhere in the Middle East, for looking out the visuals for me and also for sorting out the wordplay on 7d.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2537
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
More easy but classy clues this week, in a grid that gives you every word-length from 4 to 12
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26252
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment ****
Giovanni rarely disappoints, and this one certainly doesn’t with beautifully constructed clues. Let us know your opinion of it in a comment.
As usual the answers are hidden between the curly brackets under the relevant clue. If you need to see one, just highlight the space between the brackets.
I’m afraid that you’re going to get a double helping of me today. Since both Anax and Big Dave are away in London, I’ll be back later with a review of the Toughie (and in case you’re in two minds about whether to try the Toughie, I thoroughly recommend it – it’s not as difficult as some of Micawber’s, but it is just as entertaining).
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