Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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It’s probably fair to say that in my four years of doing EV hints a significant majority of the puzzles have been beyond an imaginary halfway line in terms of difficulty.
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The name Arcadia immediately brings to my mind a shop in St. Michael’s Street, Oxford.
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Having got clearance through from the Pentagon, I asked Claude, “In a themed crossword puzzle, we are asked to identify a work and its creator (not ‘author’) and then position three words appropriately in the grid, each one representing a ‘gentle observation’. Have you any idea what the theme might be?”
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Telegraph regulars will recognize today’s setter as the deputy puzzles editor, using a pseudonym normally associated with his Toughies; he has set themed puzzles for several publications in years gone by under a different nom de guerre, including ten Listeners (three more than me), but as far as I can ascertain this is his first EV – if so, we extend a warm welcome to him.
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With very little to offer Claude in terms of today’s puzzle, I asked, “Why would a setter of themed crossword puzzles choose to call themselves Shark?”
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This week, I asked Gemini, “I am about to tackle a themed crossword puzzle from a setter called Ifor. Do I have good reason for trepidation?”
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In July 2022, I stepped in for five weeks to give the Numpties an extremely well-deserved break. Little did I know that in February 2026 I would be doing my 100th EV blog…
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There was nothing in the title or preamble for the AI contingent to get their virtual teeth into, so I asked Claude, “Shelley wrote a poem ‘To a Skylark’; could you write a five-line verse along the same lines to a lady crossword setter called ‘Skylark’?”
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Today, in the words of Bonnie Tyler, “It’s the Heart Ace.” I decided to give Claude something specific to get his virtual teeth into, so I asked, “A themed crossword puzzle involves a single keyword which could be cryptically described as ‘short kind of party dress’. What might this word be?”
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I asked Claude, “A themed crossword puzzle has the title ‘Gripping Yarns’. On the basis that this title is unlikely to refer to riveting tales, what might the theme of the puzzle be?”