Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26148
Of Riddles and Pots
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Our Wednesday Wizard took us for a pleasant stroll down Crossword Boulevard this morning with a fairly friendly set of teasing clues. And, by the looks of it, one of the days when the Daily puzzle is actually tougher than the Toughie! Particularly liked 8 down which was clever and a new cryptic definition on me.
The answers, should you need to see them, are hidden between the curly brackets beneath the relevant clues – just slide your cursor through the white space between the brackets to highlight them. Have your say on the board and rate the puzzle with the star system, which to me is much more credible than Clued Up. The Clued Up rating system is very ambiguous and really doesn’t say anything.
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Toughie No 291 by Giovanni
Well, I enjoyed it!
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
Sorry for the delay, but it’s been a busy day today. I like my Toughies to be tough and this one certainly was. While you may not like some of the constructs, all of the clues were, as ever with Giovanni, fair.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26147
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
We have a pleasant and not too taxing puzzle today, with a few smiles along the way. Based on the pattern over the past few months it’s probably by Shamus (but that’s just my supposition).
We depend on your comments to continue to make this site the lively forum for discussion that it’s become – I know that I can rely on you not to disappoint!
The answers, should you need to see them, are hidden between the curly brackets beneath the relevant clues – just drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets to reveal.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26146
Hints and tips by Rishi
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Neat, clean, delectable – some words to describe today’s offering from our Monday maestro. Most of the clues are easy. Some have slightly tricky bits of play.
At one stage I had six clues to go. They were: 28a, 30a and 8d, 21d, 26d, 27d. Of these, the very last to go in were 30a and 26d.
The clues that I liked most are: 9a, 11a, 18a, 5d, 15d, 20d, 25d – all of which have smooth surface reading.
All the answers are here – except that they are hidden. To see any, please drag the mouse over the white space between the curly brackets.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2519
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another Sunday puzzle that’s easy for old hands but precisely clued.
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Toughie No 290 by Elgar
An A to Z of Stifled Giggles
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Seeing as Elgar and I evidently share precisely the same brain I just flew through this one with barely a pause, but that’s not always a good thing, you know. You miss things. You miss subtleties. You put in answers and don’t really understand why they’re right.
This pangrammatic Friday frolic was bursting with good moments although it’s a case of fingers crossed that by the time I reach some of the clues I’ll have twigged what was going on (although, in all honesty, 10a isn’t far away and that’s the first piece of puzzledom).
Favourite clues are shown in blue.
Leave a comment telling us what you thought. I don’t expect to see responses in the hundred but it would be nice to get well into double figures! 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 26144
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
We have another entertaining challenge from Giovanni – what more can I say? Fridays and Sundays are definitely my favourite days for the Telegraph Cryptic puzzles. Let us know what you thought, and by all means criticise it if you don’t like it, but please don’t just say something like “it’s dreadful” – give your reasons and examples, so that we can get a debate going.
For new readers, the answer to each clue is hidden between the curly brackets under the clue (so that you can’t see it by accident). If you want to reveal it, drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26139
A full analysis by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
One of the better Saturday Prize puzzles, but with a handful of difficult answers.
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Toughie No 289 by Excalibur
Contractual Obligation
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *
It’s that time of the month, another Excalibur Toughie. Some like them, some don’t. I don’t. Virtually every down clue with an anagram in it. Enough said. See you next week.
The answers can be found by highlighting the space between the curly brackets. If you want to share your thoughts on this crossword, please leave a comment.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26143
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A mixture of clues, some good, some ok, and a couple that are questionable. But generally a good crossword thats an enjoyable solve, and is tricky in places. Overall a marked improvement over the previous two Thursday offerings.
The answers can be found by highlighting the space between the curly brackets. If you want to share your thoughts on this crossword, please leave a comment.
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