Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **+ – Enjoyment ****/*****
I thoroughly enjoyed this. There’s a spot of vocab – 27a was unknown to me – but it’s all very fairly clued. I initially suspected we were approaching *** territory as – despite getting lucky with 1a, having recently visited Hungary – I found the top a little bumpy. But the second half eases up dramatically. Whether that’s because it really is significantly easier in the South or whether I’d just refound my Donny legs by then, I’m not entirely sure. Certainly, there is NO science, which always makes me sob. And there is an extremely helpful and literally comic mini-theme. So **+ (as in not quite a 2.5) it is … for a Thursday. As ever, the floor is yours to agree disagree. PS … I should add (ta lots Sloop) that this is apparently Donnybrook’s 100th Toughie, as perhaps alluded to by the 11 ‘C’s dotted about the grid. Hats off, sir: a tremendous achievement.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31251
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter for an enjoyable puzzle which I found slightly trickier than its predecessors this week but still pretty accessible.
Continue reading “DT 31251”
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty <* – Enjoyment ****
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Wednesday back-pager blog. Huge thanks to Gazza for standing in for me last week whilst I was away. Maybe I’m still in holiday mode, or perhaps it was due to lack of sleep after last night’s tropical heat here in Hampshire, but I found today’s puzzle to be the hardest of the week so far. Once again we have an excellent crossword with plenty to enjoy and admire. Amongst my favourites are 11a, 12a, 26a and 14d, but my pick of the clues today is the clumsy cleric in 13a. I also liked the groan-worthy Quickie pun. Many thanks to our setter.
Sunday Toughie No 225 by proXimal
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 17th May 2026
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This puzzle was published on 17th May 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. Dada has given us a nice, challenging puzzle this Sunday. I would now like to present my full review of it and hope to receive your valuable feedback and comments. Continue reading “ST 3369 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3693 by Hudson
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
We have a very entertaining puzzle from Hudson today, and whilst there are a few slight obscurities, these are not at the extreme end of the scale in Crosswordland. It did take me a fair while to get into the swing, which I’m blaming on an unusual excursion into solving outdoors, but once I got a couple of handles, it all went in fairly smoothly. We have a few footballing/sporting references, plenty of geography and a couple of Addams family references, but nothing that really amounts to a theme that I can see. There is a whole bunch of clues that would get podium places in any normal week, notably 1d, 8d, 10a, 14d, 19d and 27a, but I’m giving my prize today to 23a. Thank you, Hudson, for a top-notch puzzle.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
Another infernally hot day here in Harpenden. I’m sure I used to cope much better with extremes of heat than I seem to now.
Today’s Anthony Plumb (I assume) production is a typically gentle affair & as ever nicely clued throughout. For whatever reason the solve took marginally longer than yesterday but I’d rate them at a similar level of difficulty.
For any looking for a further challenge Hudson is on duty over in t’other place with his usual excellence. Other than 2 answers that merit admission to the new wing housing The List it’s a fairly gentle affair & well worth a look at. I’m sure Whybird will be pleased to hear from you.
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.
A Mid-Year Bash 17.5 is on! (Thanks Smylers)
25th July 2026
After a couple of years of organising the post-Covid revival of the Birthday Bash, the village elders wish to take back the responsibility for organising the Official Blog Birthday. Expect to hear in due course what they have in mind for next year.… Continue reading
