June 9, 2026 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3701

Toughie No 3701 by Beam
Hints and tips by Whybird

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty */**   – Enjoyment ****

Well, well!  Another Tuesday appearance for King Concision… You wait ages to blog a Beam puzzle, then two come along (almost) at once.  That’s all to the good as far as I am concerned! We have three six-word clues, and everything else is even more concise. 

I started off at a rate of knots and was starting to wonder whether “Floughie” and “Beam” had ever been linked in a Blog.  I should have known better, and the South-west corner, along with 2d put up a valiant fight, the end result being pretty much spot-on for a Tuesday.  I have ticks all over the place, notably 2d, 15d, 16d, 18d, 21a and 27a, but I’m giving my Gold Star to 12a. Thanks to Beam for a very enjoyable tussle.

Please accept my apologies for the absence of illustrations and the like.  In the short time since competing the puzzle and typing the blog, I’ve started an attack of man-flu or the like, and need to leave it here.

Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle. 

Continue reading “Toughie 3701”

DT 31261

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31261

Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****

After a reasonably bright start here in Harpenden it has just got very dark & another deluge looks imminent but at least the forecast suggests it will not last too long.

Having been alone in thinking last week’s puzzle didn’t have the feel of an Anthony Plumb production I’m pretty certain this one is one of his and very enjoyable it was too. Maybe a tad trickier than yesterday but there’s not much in it & impeccably clued throughout.

For any seeking a further challenge Ray T (in his no anagrams Beamer guise) is on duty over in t’other place with a very accessible Tuesday Toughie that is well worth a stab at. As ever Whybird will be delighted to hear your thoughts.

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.

Continue reading “DT 31261”