Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
This week’s Toughies have been disappointingly straightforward, but one can normally rely on Elgar to provide the required brain tormenting challenge. Today’s puzzle, whilst being very entertaining, has a helpful theme which ensures that although this isn’t his fluffiest work, it certainly isn’t excessively hob-nailed either.
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Giovanni is in benevolent mood today. Not only are at least three of the four long answers pretty easy to get but all the 3-letter answers (which are often the trickiest) have two letters checked and very straightforward wordplay. However, as we always say, just because it’s not too difficult doesn’t mean that it’s not enjoyable and I enjoyed this one. Do let us know your views.
Continue reading “DT 27288”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
Morning All! – I only managed to solve this last night as I have been working the last couple of weekends and my Sci-Fi addiction has just ratcheted up a notch so I am mostly reading on the train instead of solving crosswords. This puzzle had one howling error but that aside was relatively gentle so my enjoyment level was compromised.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Once again I was right on Dada’s wavelength and thought that this one was probably the easiest Dada Toughie yet. There are some nice clues but I find it impossible to give more than 3 stars for enjoyment when the puzzle takes up so little time
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Here’s the Ray T puzzle we were expecting last week. I thought this one was easier than usual, but just as much fun.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
“Entertaining”, “fun”, “well-crafted” – just what we have come to expect from a Sunday morning crossword. My particular favourites were 22a, 6d, 8d and 13d.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
In the past I (as well as other bloggers) may have given the impression that I was fed up with MynoT’s ‘alphabetical’ series and wished that he would move on to something else. Now that he has moved on I sort of wish that he hadn’t, because what we have now is decent enough as a puzzle but it’s not really a Toughie and there is a lack of sparkle. Of course there may be a Nina or theme there but if there is it’s passed me by.
Continue reading “Toughie 1051”
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Hola from the Vega Baja. I must have been in just the right mood this morning as this was my quickest solve for quite a while. It was very enjoyable while it lasted but Sir Bradley would have been nowhere near the 10 mile mark!
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
There is rather a lot of topping and tailing of words. To solve messy clues like many of these you need to find the definition, guess the answer and then try and analyse the wordplay.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from California Cross in South Devon, where the rain is persisting down from a uniformly leaden sky.
It may just be the holiday feeling, but I found this more difficult than recent Tuesday offerings, hence the *** rating, though when I’d finished I couldn’t really see where the difficulty had been. 22a was the last one in.