Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
Kia ora from Aotearoa.
Today is Waitangi Day, a public holiday in New Zealand. On 6th February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi, now recognised as the nation’s founding document, was signed at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands in the far north of our country.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Happy Chinese New Year! Seven days since last Tuesday, it’s reassuring to find that today is a Tuesday, and all is as usual. It’s less usual to see Silvanus in this slot – a first in fact, as his previous two Toughies were published later in the week – but I expect that could change. I found it not overly tricky, but by no means an escaped back-pager. Meanwhile, if I’d had any doubts about what enjoyment rating to give, the plaudits over on the back page blog have decided it! Indeed, I noted an unusually high number of clues as favourites.
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BD Rating - Difficulty **/*** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Tuesday. Today the Telegraph has given us what I thought was a superb puzzle. Every clue has a great surface formed from no more than seven words. The puzzle is a nice mix of charade-type clues where the answer reveals itself as you follow the wordplay instructions, and clues made more challenging by incorporating some unexpected synonyms. I filled most of the grid at a decent clip until I dropped to a head-scratching crawl down in the SW corner. There's some clever clueing going on down there. Setter, if you are reading, please comment to take credit for this brilliant puzzle.
Last week I posted a link to the huge number of thoughts and well-wishes contributed by blog readers for the 10th Birthday Bash. If you missed it and you want to take a look, you can download a PDF by clicking here.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Well done England. I was not expecting that!… Continue reading
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg. Last month, Tantalus asked me which temperature scale I was using in my weather reports. … Continue reading
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I was somewhat overwhelmed by the generosity shown last Saturday. My thanks go to all concerned, especially the two Janes, Mr K and Chris Lancaster. I hope to be adding some pictures later.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
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Why not have a go at our latest Monthly Prize Puzzle?
The winner will receive their choice of any of the Telegraph Crossword Books.
Please note that, due to punitive postal charges, while the competition is open to all, the prize is only available to UK solvers.
A review will follow after the closing date (16th February 2019).
The competition is now closed
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ***
As usual, we have a meticulously-clued pangram from Osmosis, with smooth surfaces elegantly combining definition and wordplay.… Continue reading