August 18, 2026 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3741

Toughie No 3741 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird

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

Greetings and welcome to another Toughie Week!  Many thanks to Gazza and ALP for filing in whist I was off on my Jollies – Audouin’s gull, Cory’s, Scopoli’s, Balearic and Manx shearwaters, crested tit, spotless starling, black redstart, long-finned pilot whale, common dolphin, loggerhead turtle, and a (probably Fin) whale were the wildlife highlights, plus 70-odd seconds of total eclipse, so I’m pretty happy with that haul!

Dada had given us a stiff test today, certainly meriting its Toughie label.  There are some very clever and inventive clues but I didn’t warm to it as much as I was expecting, although I can’t really work out why. 16a and 26a get honourable mentions, but I’m giving my top prize today to 18a. Thanks to Dada for robustly knocking away the post-holiday cobwebs.

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

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DT 31321

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31321

Hints and tips by Huntsman

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

Mercifully much cooler today in Harpenden & I suspect we may even have had a drop or two of wet stuff overnight.

The usual elegance from Anthony Plumb today. I found it a wee bit trickier than yesterday’s puzzle. Smylers awarded that one a ** difficulty rating so I’ll follow suit & wait to see what others make of it.

I see Dada is over in t’other place with what seems at first glance a reasonably approachable affair.

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.

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