Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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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.
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Sunday Toughie No 206 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 4th January 2026 Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 206 (Review)”
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This puzzle was published on 4th January 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A lovely, entertaining puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind reading and valuable comments. Continue reading “ST 3350 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3617 by Hudson
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
Welcome to the Toughie week, and what a way to start it! Hudson has given us a treat. Given some of the pieces of general knowledge I had to check up, I would not have described this as a Floughie, but I found I had completed it in Floughie time. In fact, my only criticism is that it was all over too soon – another 15 or 20 clues at this standard would have been very welcome indeed. There are some great surfaces, with some sneakiness and some clever crypticness, all set out in concise terms. What’s not to love? I’ve selected 2d, 11a, 15d and 19a for my Roll of Honour, but there are so many to choose from, it might have been easier to pick the few that were merely “good”. Thank you, Hudson, for a cracking puzzle, although 2d has caused some angst with having to avoid it in the hints!
Please let us know how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
The usual fairly gentle Tuesday offering to ease us into the demands of sterner tests as the week progresses. I thought the puzzle (by Anthony Plumb I assume) maybe a tad trickier than yesterday but I doubt that it will detain experienced solvers for too long. I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet but I see Hudson is over in t’other place so that’s as good as guaranteed to be a cracker & I’m sure both Rob & Whybird would welcome comment.
As usual there are an assortment of musical clips to enjoy or ignore. Apologies that the title of a couple of ‘em give the game away but couldn’t resist including ‘em again.
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.
31st January 2026
The Blog will be celebrating its seventeenth birthday next January 28th 2026.
Hello,
It is getting closer to the next Birthday Bash, and I post this as a reminder. I will be in London from Friday onwards. The main event will be in The Bridge House in Little Venice from about noon on the 31st. There is a good menu for those were wish to dine. I will be bringing some macarons, but maybe not as ambitious as last year.
You can just turn up as you wish, but it might be helpful if you could let me know via comment here. If you want further guidance let me know here and I will email back.
In the past, things have started to wind up in the pub in the evening (7-8pm) and hardy souls have gone on to a local Chinese restaurant, and that could happen again if you wish.
I have had a go at a crossword to entertain any lulls in the conversation, and anyone else is encouraged to contribute a puzzle/quiz or similar even if they are saved for the train home. If you want me to print out copies, I need them the Wednesday before (28th Jan – the actual date of the launch of the blog in 2009)
I have been to quite a few Birthday bashes over the years and every year, Network Rail and whatever rail companies are involved, have contrived to make January travel a nightmare. I am going to stay over on Sunday as KingsX is a bus transfer to Peterborough! and I will be blogging the Toughie on the Sunday from my hotel.
It has been suggested that a summer get-together may help. The advantage of London is that it provides plenty of alternative diversions for partners (or Mama Bee’s) who don’t do crosswords, but if anyone knew of a suitable venue a bit further north, I will investigate the possibility. Peterborough or Cambridge in the East and somewhere on the West Coast line between Oxford and Crewe come to mind. Suggestions for dates and venues can be made here or at the event.
I will be doing a Teams link again if you like, but bear in mind that communication in a busy pub can be a problem. Let me know if you want to try again
Happy new year, gang! Yes, I know that feels a long time ago now, but these are my first hints of 2026. Also Happy Kiss a Ginger Day — easy for me to celebrate, because I had the foresight to marry a redhead; to those less fortunate, best wishes for finding a suitable way to mark the occasion.
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Zandio a bit trickier today (to me) quite a few 16d references, but please don’t mention the war, I had to, but I think I got away with it. John Cleese/Basil Fawlty©
14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find enough checkers to finish, but I will try and give a nudge if you are struggling – just ask.
Here We Go…
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Gemini has been hallucinating again: when I submitted the instructions, I was told: “This preamble belongs to a notable Inquisitor puzzle (IQ 1639) by Pandiculator titled ‘Clockwise’, which was originally published in April 2020.”… Continue reading
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where however much snow landed on us during the blizzard that we experienced a week before Christmas is being ‘topped up’ on a regular basis.
I hope that all those who ‘experienced’ Storm Goretti survived the ordeal.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada very friendly with four long ‘uns, four anagrams (two of the long ‘uns and one partial), two lurkers, and no homophones in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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!
