Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Phil McNeill has kindly provided me with the puzzle publication and closing dates over the Christmas period, so I have produced a table which also includes the dates you can expect to see those puzzles reviewed here.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
1 / 27 / 14 / 17 / 19
12 / 21 / 10 / 26 / 4
28 / 8 / 29 / 10 / 18d / 10 / 23
28 / 8 / 15 / 18d / 10 / then / 34
A suitably seasonal offering from Elgar and one which sits comfortably at the tougher end of the scale. However, I was somewhat derailed by the confusing numbering in the clue format and would probably have welcomed seeing the quote as above. Even with the above, there is also a clever little word play which had me flummoxed for a bit! In this review, I have taken the liberty of diverting from the numbering on line and in the paper to explain the lines of the quote.
I suspect that this will divide the regular Toughie solvers somewhat but I would urge you to persevere and admire the way our setter has managed to get virtually the whole verse into the grid. Unfortunately it was used (very differently) in another newspaper puzzle earlier in the week, which gave me a bit of a head start once I’d seen how 1a 27a worked out.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Rufus told us on Monday that the Christmas Eve puzzle would be by him, and he’s given us a cracker with a seasonal theme and plenty of pies. I look forward to your comments on it.
May I take this opportunity to wish everyone in our extended blogging family (setters, co-bloggers, commenters and lurkers) a Very Happy Christmas.
Much to my surprise (which you will be aware of if you saw the hints earlier) this is a prize puzzle. I’m providing a few hints here and a full review will appear on or after the final date. Please feel free to comment but please don’t reveal any answers or part-answers otherwise the blue pencil may be activated.