Toughie No 374 by Notabilis
Anax can fall
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
I really enjoyed this, but I also found it very difficult – not that I had to look anything up beyond confirming a couple of answers I’d written in. But, after solving, it turns out a couple of my partners in solving crime had far less trouble than me.
Notabilis has been one of my favourite setters for a long time and, as ever, what shines through in this puzzle (beyond his usual inventiveness) is conciseness, clarity and fairness. The enjoyment rating is only at 4 stars, though; for me the clues were pretty much faultless – just one very tiny grumble – but it just needed a genuine WOW moment to tip it into 5-star territory.
My favourites clues are shown in blue text, but these are the pick of a very high quality bunch.
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.
Continue reading “Toughie 374”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26270
Hints and tips by Gnomethang
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Morning All!. I really enjoyed solving this puzzle. It was one of those that looked quite daunting on the first read through but with time and a bit of Crypticsue’s ‘cogitation’ each clue unlocked itself. As one comes to expect from Giovanni there are some lovely surface readings and images therein and a few diverting clues that require the crossword equivalent of a gentle a tap with a taffy hammer before they can be broken down.
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 and as ever, if you still feel the need, you can get the answers by dragging your cursor between the curly brackets.
Continue reading “DT 26270”
Toughie No 373 by Petitjean
Hints and tips by Bufo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I completed this puzzle in reasonable time but struggled to understand some of the wordplay. I think that I’ve now worked it all out correctly.
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.
Continue reading “Toughie 373”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26269
Hints and tips by Tilsit
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
I suspect this has the hand of Campbell all over it. Very similar to his puzzles in the FT and Toughie. Not the hardest of puzzles to solve, and I suspect that many of you will feel contented at solving this. There’s nothing too contentious here, although a couple of cryptic definitions brought about some tooth-sucking. Cryptic definitions to me are almost an acquired taste. When I’m compiling, I probably use one per puzzle, but for some setters they are the main clue-type. Rufus is far and away the Master of such definitions, but even he occasionally brings about a bout of dental slurping.
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.
Continue reading “DT 26269”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26265
A full review by Gnomethang
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Afternoon, All!. In my opinion this week’s Saturday Prize Puzzle from Cephas was an improvement on the last couple of weeks (particularly the Cryptic Definitions). There were, however, a couple of clues that caused great rumblings from ‘bloggers on the day; some justified and some, perhaps not. Whilst I was expecting the usual pangram puzzle (Cephas’ trademark) we were left lacking a ‘K’. Whether this was due to a last minute editorial change or simply to fox us will, I fear, remain a mystery.
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.
Continue reading “DT 26265”
Toughie No 372 by Citrus
This One’s a Lemon
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *
I really didn’t enjoy this one. It’s not up to Toughie standard and many of the clues felt as though they’d been generated by computer (not helped by having no less than eight 4-letter answers). Furthermore there are significant errors in two of the clues (9a and 29a).
Let us know whether you agree or disagree with me by leaving a comment, and please remember to indicate your enjoyment (or lack of it) by clicking on one of the stars below.
Continue reading “Toughie 372”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26268
Hints and tips by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Another good puzzle from our Wednesday Wizard. Many of you will be please to know that this one is a lot easier than yesterday’s!
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.
Continue reading “DT 26268”
Toughie No 371 by Giovanni
Use your loaf
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Today we have a couple of clues that use bakery-related slang terms for money. I finished this more quickly than today’s regular cryptic, but thoroughly enjoyed both of them.
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.
Continue reading “Toughie 371”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26267
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment ****
We have an entertaining puzzle from Shamus today (but no Nina, as far as I can tell!). Let us know your thoughts in a comment!
As always, the answers are hidden inside the curly brackets under the clues. Highlight the space between the brackets to reveal them.
Continue reading “DT 26267”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26266
Hints and tips by Libellule
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment ***
Hello everybody welcome to Monday! I thought this crossword was a little more difficult that we have had for the last few weeks, however it did not detract from the enjoyment. Are there too many anagrams? Possibly, but it’s still a very good puzzle. Favourite clues have to be 11a and 28a just for their sheer simplicity.
If the hint is not enough to allow you to work out the answer, just highlight the space between the curly brackets.
Continue reading “DT 26266”