Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Apologies for the disappearance of the blog on Saturday 4 July. A large number of bots flooded the site with requests, causing the blog to overload and deny access to regular users.
Mr K was able to find way to block the bots and restore normal service. … Continue reading
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Sunday Toughie No 232
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Many thanks to Mr-K for getting us up and running again. When I finally got to see the puzzle, I was pleasantly surprised but mentally challenged by proXimal.
I see from Phibs’ post that the other SJB (proXimal) has passed over editorship of the EV to Elgar. I hope that will give him plenty of opportunities to post more back-pagers like 31252 or Sunday Toughies like this.
All the trademarks are present – start with a Spoonerism and a couple of compound anagrams, but only one X today.
We have 14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to reach the end, but I will try to give a nudge if asked.
Here we go, Folks…
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Today the EV community extends a warm welcome to our new editor, the cruciverbal legend that is John Henderson (Elgar, Enigmatist, Io, and editor of the Inquisitor puzzle in the i newspaper); at the same time, we bid farewell to Steve Bartlett, who has been in the editorial seat since 2019 and has by my reckoning brought 373 puzzles to us during his seven-year tenure – I’m sure you will join me in thanking him for a sterling shift, in the course of which, along with editing many fine puzzles, he introduced these ‘hints and tips’ blogs. Thanks, too, on behalf of all EV setters: there’s no doubting that when many of those puzzles were received by Steve they were significantly less satisfactory than their polished, published forms.
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where I express great thanks to Mr K for resolving issues to fend off Chinese bots and other DDoS attacks in the middle of my night which is why my blog is a little late this morning, it still is the middle of my night, and if you notice any errors have a Mars Bar and a 48.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada symmetrically not so friendly today with two long ‘uns, six anagrams with five partials (I might have mis-counted), two lurkers (don’t forget the ‘if all else fails . . . ‘), and no homophones, all in an 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!
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Toughie No 3716 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Luxor has upped his difficulty level a bit since his last Toughie and has given us an enjoyable challenge – thanks to him. I thought at one stage that we were heading for a pangram but it was not to be.
Continue reading “Toughie 3716”
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to an entertaining Friday puzzle. Continue reading "DT 31282"
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This puzzle was published on 27th June 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A truly interesting 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 31277 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****/*****
A rumbustious return from Dharma, full of his typical humour and honed surfaces, prompting a slow start but a quick finish. I found many of the downs marginally easier than the acrosses but that’s possibly because I had all the checkers by then – being pathetically English, I do like to doggedly work from top to bottom. Other methods are, of course, available. Hopefully, my 2.5 will find safer harbour than usual … the floor is yours to trumpet your agreement!