Big Dave’s Blog Birthday Bash, 2026
by Rahmat Ali
Reviewed by Steve Cowling
Rahmat Ali has given us a very entertaining puzzle for the Birthday Bash, which was a pleasure to solve. There were a couple of new words for me, but the cluing was fair. I was fairly sure of my answers for these, but I did check the BRB to make sure.
If you haven’t done so, please download it here> BIG DAVE’S BLOG BIRTHDAY BASH, 2026 and give it a go. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you, Rahmat, for your sterling efforts in producing a fine puzzle. Thank you, Sloop John Bee for your help with this blog and for organising a fabulous get-together.
Orf we jolly well go! Please forgive any errors
Across
6a It’s hard to say tigers went out shivering (6,7)
TONGUE TWISTER: An anagram of the fifth, sixth and seventh words to start us off. Peter Piper would be proud
8a Fellow allowed to receive golden bloom? (6)
FLORET: The single letter for “Fellow” followed by a word meaning to allow, containing two letters for gold.
9a Tammy Wynette album for solver and setter (3,3,2)
YOU AND ME: How a couple, in this case a solver and setter, would describe themselves to each other. Also, it’s the title of an album by Tammy Wynette.
10a Last of all, Canada eliminates hoop snake (3)
ASP: Take the last letters of words four, five and six for a snake Cleopatra knew well at the end.
11a Steers clear of Dave returning with sleeveless vest (6)
EVADES: Turn Dave around (returning) and add vest without the first and last letters (sleeveless).
12a Keeping up with the times and ready for a romantic meeting (2-2-4)
UP-TO-DATE: To be au fait with current trends can also mean looking forward to an assignation
14a Host Richard’s sheltering big bird (7)
OSTRICH: A lurker in the first two words
16a Call into question mischievous child and every one of them (7)
IMPEACH: The usual three letter word for naughty child followed by a word meaning one by one.
20a Back excellent team confused about cattle blood poisoning (8)
TOXAEMIA: An anagram of ‘team” surrounds a two-letter bovine followed by the reverse (back) of an abbreviation for top class
23a Japanese Buddhist school with an area providing Muslim female accommodation? (6)
ZENANA: A three-letter word for a Buddhist school that emphasises self-discipline and meditation followed by the word “an” and the single letter for “area”. A new word for me.
24a Noticed in fête, aromatic drink (3)
TEA: Our second lurker in words three and four
and a Betty’s Fat Rascal
25a Release covering African party’s announcement (8)
ISSUANCE: To release, as in a newspaper or magazine, surrounds a South African political party that was banned between 1960 and 1990. The announcement is usually associated with the supplying of official documents
26a Spinning club? (6)
ROTARY: A word that can mean both spinning and a club comprising business and professional people
27a Intent clear in representation of three hundred years (13)
TRICENTENNIAL: An anagram of the first three words.
Down
1d Unwelcome guest at home initially turned more offensive (8)
INTRUDER: The usual two-letter word for being at home, followed by the initial letter of turned and a word meaning more offensive
2d Sit tight – fair case will be resolved (4,1,3)
JUST A SEC: A word for fair followed by an anagram of “case” with the answer meaning to hang on a bit.
3d Don’t move sheep travelling north across river (4,3)
STAY PUT: A word for male sheep (not rams) reversed around a Northern river
4d Casino’s gambling arena welcoming that French card game (6)
PIQUET: A three-letter word for a place where gambling takes place around the French for “that”. I knew the card game and the French word but the gambling area was new to me
5d Paid for a heavyweight editor (6)
ATONED: The indefinite article “a” followed by heavy three letter weight before the usual abbreviation for the head of a newspaper
6d TS Eliot envies extravagant entertainment apparatus (10,3)
TELEVISION SET: An anagram (Extravagant) of the first three words
7d Channel-hopper from distant authority (6,7)
REMOTE CONTROL: Two words that could mean a distant authority but is also a useful item for use with 6d
13d Endless soaps for retiree (3)
OAP: Remove the first and last letters (endless) from the second word
15d Likely to embrace Eisenhower? (3)
IKE: The first word holds the nickname of that particular President of America
17d Blue sea surrounding one-fifth of Azerbaijan (8)
MAZARINE: An adjective relating to the sea goes surrounds two letters (one-fifth) of Azerbaijan for a blue pigment. Another new word for me.
18d One German beer mug for German-born genius (8)
EINSTEIN: The German word for one followed by an ornamental beer mug, often with a lid, gives the name of Crossword land’s favourite genius.
19d Clients forgoing international copyrights? (7)
PATENTS: Medical “clients “without the letter for international gives a form of copyright
21d Nubia’s spurious deity (6)
ANUBIS: An anagram of Nubia’s gives an ancient Egyptian goddess of funerary rites
22d Stable controller dropping a trough for feeding horses (6)
MANGER: A word for a person who controls things in a stable manner perhaps, losing (dropping) the letter “a”.
Thanks to Steve for the blog, I am sure Rahmat will be pleased you enjoyed it.
That only leaves Bridge House 2 to blog and Snowman has volunteered to do that one. I will post that as soon as he gets back to me.
I must point out that all the pictures and videos have been added by Sloops. I don’t have a clue how to do it!
My thanks to Steve Cowling for his splendid review and to Sloops for all the pictures and videos.
Thank you so much, Sloop John Bee, for encouraging me to compile another Big Dave’s Birthday Bash puzzle. My thanks also go to Mark for his timely help in completing the puzzle.
Thanks both for blogging this very enjoyable puzzle. I needed the hints for 20a and 22d – just couldn’t get the latter even though it was eminently gettable! 23a and 17d were both new words for me.
Thanks again, Rahmat, a very fine challenge.
As the week passes, I’m going to try to fit in the two Prolixic puzzles.
Thank you so much, Alfiepops, for liking my puzzle.
My thanks to Rahmat Ali for an enjoyable puzzle and to Steve for reviewing. I can’t say that I have a good knowledge of Tammy Wynette’s discography, but the wordplay was straightforward. I hadn’t come across the ‘blue’ in 17d either – but the crossing letter from 23a provided the key to parsing the clue. E-search tells me that it “falls somewhere between hyacinth, sapphire and cyanine” – not sure I would distinguish it readily!. My favourite clues were 1d, 2d & 6d.
Prolixic’s ‘Bridge House 2’ completed the set curated by SJB, all of which were fun to solve, so my thanks to him also!
Thank you so much, Spartacus, for finding my puzzle enjoyable.
Very very late as we were away but wanted to write how much we enjoyed your puzzle, Rahmat Ali – and the review and pictures. 23a, 21d and 17d were new to us. Many thanks.
Thank you so much, Hilton, for enjoying my puzzle.