Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
The usual cleverness from Django. Some quirky little tricks, fun definitions and a riot of 80s reference – in (bar 28a!) a good way. All yours.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Quintessential Beam today – very tight, very clean. Surprisingly clean-ish, in fact. But don’t worry, the usual wit is still there. 1d, for one! As for difficulty, it really rather depends on whether you’ve got your synonym head on, or not. The bottom half flew in but the top was perhaps slightly knottier. 9a’s “sensitive”, for example, took some thought, though the definition couldn’t have been clearer. In short, a delight, and a lovely way to mark my 100th blog. Where on earth did the time go, eh? All yours.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Sue is still off games and we all wish her well, but don’t worry – she’ll be doing star jumps again before you know it. So, I’m afraid you’ve got me instead. You’ll just have to be terribly, terribly brave! Some vintage references from Light today – a 1966 footballer, a post-war singer and a grand old comic. Nostalgic fun. All yours.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **+ – Enjoyment *****
Somewhat of a tour de force from Prime today: smartly studded with pith and wit. It took me a moment to find my stride but, from then on, this was a fair and fizzy romp. I loved it. Over to you.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **+ – Enjoyment ****
Dharma’s back to tickle and tease, with engineered surfaces and fair definitions, as always. Some real graft here. All yours.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****
Django’s been fairly gentle today, gifting us a puzzle studded with clever touches and smart surfaces, as ever. His delightfully eclectic cultural references range from The Simpsons to Victor Borge, via the Coen brothers, and, accordingly, it proved hugely entertaining. All yours.
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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.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
A surprisingly gentle Thursday Toughie from Kcit, though 16d’s GK certainly had me Googling. Always grand to learn summat new. All yours.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
It’s always a treat to see Django’s byline. And I was delighted to see a flash of his old wordiness crop up in 8d. My clue of the day and yet more proof that – as long as the surface merits it – length is not our enemy! All yours.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Perhaps slightly trickier than usual from Dharma today, with some imaginative synonyms (10a’s “spot”, 11a’s “accept” and 25a’s “band”, etc) and a couple of extended definitions (11a’s “not much to write home about” and 8d’s “yet to be developed”). All typically smart, of course. Over to you. Continue reading “Toughie 3555”