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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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. I found today’s puzzle to be quite a head-scratcher, and a definite step up in difficulty compared with yesterday. I needed several checkers to get the two long anagrams, 10a and 26a. They are both on my crowded podium today, which also includes the lurkers in 1a and 8a, and the draught-excluding PM in 20a. Many thanks to our setter, who (judging by the suggestions in yesterday’s Toughie blog) may very well be Hudson.
Sunday Toughie No 247 by Silvanus
Full Review by Gazza
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This puzzle was published on 18/10/26
Silvanus has provided a very entertaining Toughie this week.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 247 (full review)”
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This puzzle was published on 18th October 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A lovely and gentle Sunday puzzle of Dada that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and important feedback. Continue reading “ST 3391 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Whybird’s been snaffled by jury service, so I’m afraid you’ve got me instead. Still, Hudson’s appearance should be a nice surprise: entertainingly cosy and very Tuesday. There’s a faint whisper of vocab – 23a rang a vague bell but 13a was new to me. Both are, of course, gift-wrapped and, as ever, it all reads beautifully. The floor is yours.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***/****
After a pretty miserable start to the morning it has brightened up nicely here in Harpenden so I might even venture out onto the course this afternoon to see quite how sodden it is.
Today’s Anthony Plumb production wasn’t quite, for me at least, the Quickie pun that I found yesterday’s puzzle. I’d still judge it typically Tuesdayish and as ever it was nicely clued throughout & very enjoyable. I look forward to seeing what others make of it.
Hudson is on duty over in t’other place with his usual delightful & very accessible puzzle to kick off the new Toughie week. Whybird is on jury service so ALP is back in his old slot with, no doubt, an eclectic assortment of tunes.
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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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where one of the major events of the week was the final match in a Test series in women’s rugby between Canada and England’s Red Roses. Canada had won the previous match last week in Toronto. Could they possibly defeat the reigning world champions a second time?
I am always pleased when the UK finally gets around to reverting to standard time, restoring the normal five hour time differential with Ottawa. However, it appears that Telegraph Towers didn’t get the memo as the puzzle was released an hour late thus negating the gain arising from the time change. Fortunately, the puzzle was a fairly quick solve. Is it an offering from Heron? I expect Bluesky will provide the answer.
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.
Sunday Toughie No 248
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After a long day at the York Sloggers and Betters, I met old and new friends and would like to thank John Henderson and Jane Teather for organising this highlight of the cruciverbalists’ year. I was relieved to find a gentle Beam puzzle when I got home.
All the Beam™ trademarks are there, no clue over 6 words, queens, sweethearts and initialisms. I hope you will have 15a this quite easily, but hints for half of 14a and 14d clues follow
If you get stuck, I may be able to give a nudge, just ask
Thanks to Beam for pandering to my musical tastes with 10a – obviously it leaps to the top of my COTT
Here we go, Folks…
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Today’s setter has (I believe) only produced one EV puzzle before, The Bigger Picture by Enigmatist, published back in 2017.
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, on Friday, we enjoyed a very pleasant 24 degrees while, yesterday, the mercury dropped to 10 degrees with a meagre 6 degrees forecast for today!
So, for those in the UK, were you all awake at 2:00am BST this morning for the annual ritual of turning your clocks back to 1:00am GMT?
For me, and I stress for me,© – well, I knew Dada’s friendliness couldn’t last and, sure enough, it hasn’t! A bit of a stinker even with eight anagrams (four partials), one reversed lurker (not hinted, so don’t forget the ‘if all else fails look for . . .’), and one homophone, all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, 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! You might even need your favourite e-search ‘assistant’!
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!