Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Today we have a fun puzzle with a few clues that required some thought to parse completely. Smooth surfaces and shoutout to Scottish football are clues to the identity of our setter. Continue reading "DT 31042"
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This puzzle was published on 20th September 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, delightful Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31037 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Perhaps slightly trickier than usual from Dharma today, with some imaginative synonyms (10a’s “spot”, 11a’s “accept” and 25a’s “band”, etc) and a couple of extended definitions (11a’s “not much to write home about” and 8d’s “yet to be developed”). All typically smart, of course. Over to you. Continue reading “Toughie 3555”
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
It’s shaping up to be another nice day here in Harpenden so an afternoon of golf in autumnal sunshine looks on the cards. I need the exercise as my backside won’t stray far from the sofa while the Ryder Cup is on over the next two days. I’m on the tee starting golfers off on Sunday but should be done in time to watch the singles action on the final day. Fingers crossed for Luke’s team.
I was very grateful for a gentle puzzle from Ray T this morning as it was nearly 1pm by the time I got home from a gig at the Brixton Academy. Suffice to say ‘twas a bit of struggle getting out of bed when the alarm went off & confess to feeling more than a bit mushy brained & bleary eyed this morning.
As ever an enjoyable puzzle today from Mr Brevity & one that ought not to present too many difficulties.
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.
24th January 2026
The Blog will be celebrating its seventeenth birthday next January 28th 2026.
I have started the ball rolling with The Bridge House and reserved the bar area we have used in the past for Saturday the 24th January, from noon onwards.
I hope that those who came last year enjoyed it and it should be just as good again, however, I don’t think Mama Bee will be able to cope with a weekend in London again. I expect she will spend a weekend with my sister “babysitting”.
Last year, Smylers provided a quiz, Prolixic a couple of puzzles, Elgar a double toughie and Rahmat Ali contributed too. I am also hoping that as well as Bloggers and Setters, anyone who comments will feel as welcome as I did the first time I came. There is not a lot to do in the way of organising, but an assistant to welcome attendees/manage name tags and Teams links would be great – a volunteer is worth ten pressed men.
Big Dave was very keen on explaining crosswords, and “Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English” remains in our banner as his mission statement. Rookie Corner is one of the finest things he initiated, and it has introduced many people who have gone on to set puzzles for The Telegraph and other national newspapers. I invite anyone to consider setting a puzzle for the Birthday Bash, even if they are mainly completed on the train home. My fellow bloggers, and maybe Rossophile and Deansleigh (who cut their blogging teeth on the Telegraph Centenary puzzles), could help with an explanatory blog.
Continue reading “A date for your diary… Big Dave’s 17th Birthday Bash”
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
An enjoyable mid-week Toughie, long anagrams and all!
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where on the last full day of Summer on Sunday we experienced a dismal high temperature of 19 degrees, yet on Monday, the first (partial) day of Autumn (it began at 1:19pm for us), we enjoyed cloudless skies and 26 degrees.
It was sad to read of the passing of outstanding cricket umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird at the grand age of 92 – RIP.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable challenge in a symmetrical 30 clues. I suspect that the setter may be the same as for my last mid-week blog two weeks ago. But, carefully, my Toonies and Loonies are staying in my pocket.
Sunday Toughie No 190 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 14th of September 2025
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BD Rating –Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
