Telegraph – Page 996 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

ST Cryptic No 2470 – Review

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2470 – Review

A full analysis by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty **** Enjoyment ****

See also the original posting for ST Cryptic No 2470 – Hints

Continue reading “ST Cryptic No 2470 – Review”

DT Cryptic No 25846 – Review

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25846 – Review

A full analysis by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment *


See also the original posting for DT Cryptic No 25846

Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25846 – Review”

Toughie No 94

Toughie No 94 by MynoT

A moderately hard, but interesting puzzle

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***

There are a few lesser known words in this puzzle, but overall it’s not too bad.  Don’t forget that clicking on the links will reveal items of interest, and often the answer!

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DT Cryptic No 25850

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25850

Today’s hints and tips, by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment **

Doing this blog every day is a much bigger task than I imagined when I took it on.  Fortunately, I have had offers of help from fellow solvers, this being the first.  A blog is a very personal thing, and it was with considerable trepidation that I agreed to accept outside help, but that was before Gazza’s contribution arrived.  I knew as soon as I read the first hint that I had not made a mistake, and I hope that you all agree with me.  Please let both of us know, via the comments below, what you think. BD

This one is fairly straightforward (but see 16 across) and not too difficult, similar to those of the last few days.

Continue reading “DT Cryptic No 25850”

Toughie No 93

Toughie No 93 by Jed

A nice easy-going puzzle

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

You may have noticed yesterday that I made a complete hash of the wordplay for 23 down, although I did say that I was open to better interpretations.  Well, someone did post a far better interpretation, and it was two hours before I tumbled that we had been privileged to receive a fleeting visit from Firefly, yesterday’s setter.

If you have never tackled a Toughie before, then this one would be a good one with which to start, as there are no obscure words and the clues are straightforward – and you’ve got the hints below if you get stuck!

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DT Cryptic No 25849

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25849

A distinct improvement on the previous two Wednesdays

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***

Some of you have been dreading Wednesday’s puzzles in recent weeks – well this one will make a pleasant change.  A little harder than the last two days, but most of you should be able to cope with this one.

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Toughie No 92

Toughie No 92 by Firefly

A challenging puzzle

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** Enjoyment ****

I was racing through this one, with thoughts of a relatively early night, when suddenly I hit a brick wall in the bottom right hand corner.  At least three out of the five difficulty stars are for this corner – see what you think.

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DT Cryptic No 25848

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25848

A similar puzzle to yesterday

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Yesterday was a big day here on Big Dave’s Blog – for the first time there were over 1000 hits on the site.  This was partly because it was the first daily cryptic that was covered in detail, and partly due to some excellent mentions on Times for the Times and Fifteensquared, for which I would like to thank Peter and Neil respectively.  Peter also contributed to yesterday’s comments.

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DT Cryptic No 25847

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25847

A nice easy one to start the week

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Don’t forget the highlighted words link to items of interest

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ST Cryptic No 2470 – Hints

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2470

A harder than usual Sunday puzzle

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BD Rating – Difficulty **** Enjoyment ****

I rated this as hard because I found it difficult to get started in three out of the four corners.  Most of the answers are everyday words, but you do have to work a bit harder than with the weekday cryptics.

Continue reading “ST Cryptic No 2470 – Hints”