A beautiful sunny, albeit slightly chilly, day here in Harpenden so a decent afternoon walk looks the order of the day.
I would have assumed today’s very enjoyable puzzle to be an Anthony Plumb production but Senf advises me that the Quick puzzle grid is not one that he uses so it remains to be seen if the setter pops in to claim ownership. I found the difficulty level about on a par with yesterday so continued respite after the challenges of the weekend prize puzzles.
For any seeking a further challenge the Beamer over in t’other place is more of a gentle long hop & well worth a look at.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
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.
Greetings from Ottawa, where spring must be here as the annual Canadian Tulip Festival has begun. We are being honoured this year with a visit by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands. During the Second World War, the Dutch Royal Family took refuge in Ottawa and Princess Margriet was born here (part of the hospital was temporarily declared to be Dutch soil to ensure she had sole Dutch citizenship). As a token of appreciation for providing wartime shelter to the Royal Family as well as for Canada’s lead role in the liberation of the Netherlands at the end of the war, the Netherlands gifted Canada 100,00 tulip bulbs and continues to gift 20,000 tulip bulbs each year. These constitute part of the approximately 1 million tulips in bloom across Ottawa.
The puzzle today is the expected gentle warmup to the week but provides plenty of enjoyment, especially to those who are fond of anagrams and charades. Two weeks ago, the puzzle was set by X-Type and he said he expected to return in May. However, I don’t think this is one of his but I’m not confident enough to risk one of my shiny new King Charles loonies.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
All the Beam trademarks and a little of the difficulty today. In the unlikely event of needing a hint, I have provided hints for eight of the fourteen across clues and seven of the sixteen down clues.
A sudden opportunity to have solar panels installed means a busy week in the Beehive. I will try to give an extra nudge or two in between trips to the skips and or coffee shop.
A selection of pics and music included may or may not be bonus hints
I was at school with Tony Miles, who went on to become the first UK-born over-the-board chess grandmaster, in the process winning the £5,000 prize put up by Jim Slater.
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
For a Friday Toughie Sparks is being quite gentle with us today. Thanks to him. He often gives a Nina in the grid and today we have a Dylan Thomas play as well as a phrase which is used backwards in 3d.