Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Beam’s back to tickle us with (most of) his usual tricks. There is, of course, a “sweetheart”, a smidgeon of light cheek and a riot of double definitions. Nowt obscure and all very jolly. Over to you.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31059
Hints and tips by Shabbo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
A perfect Thursday puzzle, in my opinion. Just enough head scratching required to make it a satisfying and most enjoyable solve. Having said that, I got off to a very poor start by biffing “hairgrip” for 1a. Yes, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I thought I would make the solve a bit more challenging by making a complete Horlicks of the first clue.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.