Not from Jane’s friend Jacquie, but based on a message from Jane herself, April 13th:
Jane came home from hospital last Thursday (the 9th) but still needs ongoing medical care and it will probably be some time before she starts communicating with us on a regular basis. In the meantime, she would like to thank everyone for their very much appreciated cards and messages.
A brief update from Jane’s friend Jacquie – April 2nd – Jane is still in hospital and is on her second round of treatment but is not yet ready to see visitors. More as I receive further updates from Jacquie.
Continue reading “Jane – New Update April 13th“
Welcome to Big Dave’s Crossword Blog
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You have reached the world’s biggest and best crossword blog. If you are looking for help with the Daily and Sunday Telegraph cryptic crosswords or the Enigmatic Variations advanced cryptic, a total of 13 puzzles a week, then you have come to the right place.
If this is your first time, or for more information about this site, please click on Continue reading “Welcome”
Toughie No 3670 by Weatherman
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ***
Continue reading “Toughie 3670”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31214
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. I found today’s puzzle to have just the right level of difficulty for a Wednesday workout, and the perfect antidote to a miserable morning here on the South Coast of England. There were a couple of words that were new to me, and a reasonable amount of general knowledge is required, but but everything is fairly clued. I had ticks all over the page, but amongst my favourites are 1a, 24a, 1d, 8d, 16d and 18d, with first prize going to the stranded passenger in 17a. Many thanks to our setter.
Continue reading “DT 31214”
Sunday Toughie No 219 by Silvanus
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 5th of April 2026
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 219 (Review)”
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3363
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 5th April 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. Dada has given us an excellent and friendly solve this Sunday and now I present to you a full review of his puzzle. Hope to have your valuable feedback and comments. Continue reading “ST 3363 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3669 by Shabbo
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Greetings! This week your Itinerant Blogger finds himself in a cottage on the Eaton Manor estate close to Church Stretton – views of Wenlock Edge (complete with Brown Hares on the slopes) to one side, and Long Mynd across the valley. Blackcaps and Nuthatches singing in the garden (and the latter also bizarrely from top of the tower of St Edith’s Church), red kites over the valley. It’s a tough assignment, but someone’s got to do it…
We have another high-quality puzzle from Shabbo to start our Toughie Week. I had just enough of a battle with a few of the clues to take this into Gentle Toughie Territory. Even with some of the gentler clues, I found I had to force myself to break the clues down into their elements and not get distracted by the surfaces. Like Django, but usually more concisely, Shabbo has a knack of leading me down the garden path! My favourites today were the Operatic Repairmen in 22a, the distracting surface in 2d and the narrative anagram in 14d. Thank you, Shabbo, for the entertainment.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3669”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31213
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***/****
Well if yesterday was a good bit trickier than usual today’s Anthony Plumb (I assume) production was, as Senf would say, Typically Tuesdayish. Fun for the short time it lasted & as ever concisely clued throughout. I have to dash off for golf so hopefully no mistakes & unlike last week, when I needed my trusty phone a friend option (today’s Toughie setter) to unravel Anthea’s mysteries, all of the parsing was straightforward too. Do give Shabbo’s puzzle over in t’other place a whirl – it’s very gentle & good fun.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31212
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where it is finally beginning to feel like spring with day time temperatures reaching the mid to high teens and overnight lows, for the most part, staying above the freezing point.
Perhaps I’m having an off day but I found this puzzle considerably more difficult than I am accustomed to on Monday. The east went in fairly smoothly though not quickly but I struggled in the west.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Continue reading “DT 31212”
A Puzzle by Snowman
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Continue reading “Rookie Corner 625”
Sunday Toughie No 220
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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proXimal is here again with all his Sunday Toughie trademarks. I found this much easier than his last offering, but mainly because the Spoonerism leapt out of my mind within seconds of seeing the crossword at 23:32 last night.
We have 14a and 14d clues today, and I have hinted at half. I hope you find the checkers to get across the line. I will try and give a bonus nudge or two if you ask, but I don’t think this was as difficult as some from proXimal.
Here we go, Folks…
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 220 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1742 (Hints)
Prime by Arcadia
Hints and tips by Phibs
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The name Arcadia immediately brings to my mind a shop in St. Michael’s Street, Oxford.
Continue reading “EV 1742 (Hints)”