On 28/02/2014 20:25, Nick wrote:
....
I wouldn't say Telegraph cryptics have become easier or harder in the past
few years. Like anything, if you know the answer, it's easy. ....

At school, a group of three or four of my classmates made a big show of
completing the Times crossword every day. One day, there were two clues
they just couldn't get between them and, as I was the only other person
in the room at the time they asked me. As it happened, they were about
the only two things I knew in the whole crossword and I gave them the
answers immediately. After that they seemed to assume I didn't do the
Times crossword as I found it so easy. :-)

Colin Bignell