Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Toughie No 3684 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
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.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31227
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Today’s puzzle is just one letter short of a pangram which is a strong hint as to the setter. Thanks to him for a very enjoyable challenge.
Continue reading “DT 31227”
Toughie No 3676 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
This is not Osmosis at his most fiendish but it is still worthy of the Friday Toughie slot. Thanks to him for the very enjoyable challenge with well-disguised definitions and clever wordplay (and extra kudos for forswearing anagrams).
Continue reading “Toughie 3676”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31215
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter (I’ll leave you to guess his or her identity) for an enjoyable puzzle pitched at just the right level for a Thursday.
Continue reading “DT 31215”
Toughie No 3668 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to Luxor, a new Toughie setter whose name will be known to those who solve the Enigmatic Variations puzzles. I was a bit apprehensive on seeing the new name but I needn’t have worried; this puzzle is pretty gentle for a Friday Toughie.
Thanks to our new setter for the enjoyment.
Continue reading “Toughie 3668”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31203
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter (I’ll leave you to guess his or her identity) for an entertaining puzzle.
Continue reading “DT 31203”
Toughie No 3660 by Notabilis
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
It was a delightful surprise to find the name of Notabilis on today’s Toughie. We haven’t had a puzzle from him since Toughie 3036 almost exactly three years ago and his clever and very entertaining puzzles have been much missed. I do hope that today’s appearance signals his return on a regular basis. Many thanks to him for today’s splendid puzzle which is not fiendishly difficulty; I only needed to verify the 26a trickster.
Continue reading “Toughie 3660”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31191
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter (I’ll leave you to guess his or her identity) for an entertaining puzzle.
Continue reading “DT 31191”
Toughie No 3652 by Karla
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Karla has upped the difficulty level a bit since his last Toughie but this is still pretty accessible and it’s very enjoyable. Many thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3652”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31179
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
A really enjoyable puzzle which ticked all the boxes. Thanks to our setter.
Continue reading “DT 31179”