Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Just a short update to last month’s post about Big Dave’s health. Bloggers and setters: please read this post about the consequences for you.
BD is still in Hereford Hospital. At the moment he is in isolation as he has been in contact with someone currently suffering from COVID. Continue reading “Big Dave – An Update”
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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”
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A definite Toughie today with a lot of the parsings following the solutions by a country mile. My usual dilemma is restricting the hints to about half, as there are tricky bits to most of them. There are not many pure anagrams but I have left the lurkers unhinted, save that they are both reversed.
Anyway, here we go with an evenly split 14/28 hints.
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I’m delighted to have been given the chance to blog some more EVs, starting with this offering from my fellow hintster and tipster. A prolific setter, Chalicea has a reputation for producing highly accessible puzzles; her definitions, whether of answers or wordplay elements, are usually very precise, often closely matching those found in Chambers.
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where we have had all sorts of Prairie summer weather this week including on Tuesday a (very) small tornado about 50 km North of the city with, thankfully, no harm done.… Continue reading
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Why not have a go at our latest Quarterly Prize Puzzle?
The winner will receive their choice of any of the Telegraph Crossword Books or an Amazon voucher. Continue reading “MPP 121”
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Turning to the back page of the paper to find out whether I’d got a Cephas or a Chalicea crossword to both hint and then prepare a full review, I found an advert for watches! Once I’d refolded the paper, it didn’t take long to decide that once again we have a Cephas pangram.
Continue reading “DT 30059 (Hints)”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment *****
Sparks gives us a fun pangram today
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Head of Playboy almost sacking cover model? (5)
PEARL: The first letter (head) of Playboy plus a 6-letter word meaning almost without the outer letters (sacking cover)
4a Hitter hit fans of a Cardinal (9)
THIRTIETH: An anagram (fans) of HITTER HIT.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs om a sunny August morning.
We have a pangra missing the X this morning, which suggests a ProXimal production. I was held up by two pairs of crossing clues towards the end of solving the puzzle, and that pushed me well into *** time.… Continue reading
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This puzzle was published on 30th July 2022
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Kolkata. A very pleasant and straightforward Saturday puzzle from Cephas that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind reading and important feedback.… Continue reading
Toughie No 2899 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
The word we have to clue in this month’s Telegraph Newsletter competition is ‘smoothie’ – I was tempted to send in ‘Drink in a Silvanus clue? (8)’. Today’s Toughie provides many examples of this setter’s art – many thanks to him.… Continue reading