Sunday Toughie No 196
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Whilst enjoying the Sloggers and Betters event in York, I was aware I still had a blog to prepare for this excellent offering from proXimal. Once the Spoonerism dropped, the rest flowed fairly easily despite the curry we rounded off the evening with, repeating on me.
We have 14a and 14d clues today, and I have hinted at half. I am sure a few tricky ones have hit the cutting room floor. I will try and give a bonus nudge or two if required, but I hope you get the checkers to complete this fine puzzle.
Here we go, Folks…
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 196 (Hints)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3340 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, with the end of BST, we now start a ‘hiatus’ week of puzzles being available an hour later until we ‘Fall Back’ next weekend.
For me, and I stress for me,© quite challenging, especially in the NE, although I probably made it more difficult than it should have been. 5 anagrams (0 partials), 1 lurker, and 1 homophone in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should/might be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Continue reading “ST 3340 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31067 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Continue reading “DT 31067 (Hints)”
Toughie No 3572 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
A properly tough Friday-level puzzle with no anagrams which I enjoyed doing battle with. Thanks to Osmosis.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3572”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31061
A full review by Rahmat Ali
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 18th October 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, lovely 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 31061 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3571 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****
Django’s been fairly gentle today, gifting us a puzzle studded with clever touches and smart surfaces, as ever. His delightfully eclectic cultural references range from The Simpsons to Victor Borge, via the Coen brothers, and, accordingly, it proved hugely entertaining. All yours.
Continue reading “Toughie 3571”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31065
Hints and tips by Shabbo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Ray T entertains us again this Thursday with a fine puzzle. The Queen and the sweetheart are there as ever, with brevity of clueing at a miserly 5.25 words/clue. The jury is still out as to whether Ray’s self-imposed brevity and single word answers limit the opportunity for humour in his puzzles.
I will be blogging from North Norfolk next week, with fingers crossed that today’s storm will have well and truly blown over by then!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
Continue reading “DT 31065”
Toughie No 3570 by Stick Insect
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
I found this to be quite a friendly Toughie, but will others agree?
Continue reading “Toughie 3570”