Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Hints and tips for completing the regular Daily Telegraph Cryptic crosswords
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BD Rating - Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Today’s challenging and enjoyable puzzle felt different to the work produced by our regular group of Friday setters. I hope that today’s compiler will drop in later to take credit for it. Continue reading "DT 30928"
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This puzzle was published on 10th May 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Toughie No 3479 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
This is a very entertaining and not too tricky puzzle from the prolific Silvanus. Many thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3479”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***/****
A distinctly chillier day here in Harpenden in stark contrast to a lovely warm sunny day out on the golf course yesterday. A perfect excuse to sit glued to the telly this afternoon watching Rory seeing if he can follow up his Masters 12a with a consecutive Major.
Shabbo is swanning about in the Highlands so you’re stuck with me again today. I was expecting a Smooth production but see that Silvanus is over in t’other place. I wouldn’t care to hazard a guess as to who set this enjoyable puzzle. Given the somewhat tricky wordplay in the opening clue the puzzle actually turned out to be gentler than I thought it was going to be. As ever there are an assortment of clips with the hopefully correct hints.
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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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where, in simple terms, yesterday was hot – 38 degrees hot – but the forecast is still indicating that I will need my red scarf on Friday and Saturday!
For me, etc (I have to say that for Terence), I hope that I do not offend anyone, with a few Hmms, this was like a Monday puzzle, as Monday puzzles used to be, with, once again, no sign of the Reverend W A Spooner. Whomsoever the setter is, thank you. However, there is a chance that one excellent answer might be condemned to purgatory on The List; although, I have a vague recollection that it might already be there.
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
A beautifully sunny day here in Harpenden so a good afternoon walk beckons later this afternoon.
Today’s offering from the Prof is a typically enjoyable & reasonably gentle affair that ought not to pose too many issues. As ever the (hopefully correct) hints are provided along with the usual assortment of music clips. I’m not 100% confident about the Quickie pun (unless it’s enunciated by Jonathan Ross or Lucy Worsley) but can’t see owt else it could be.
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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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where we find ourselves in the midst of a gorgeous spell of weather with temperatures in the mid 20s and not forecast to hit either the sizzling highs or frigid lows that Winnipeg is expecting this week as Senf reported yesterday. It is Tulip Festival time and the beautiful blooms are everywhere. The festival is especially meaningful this year coming on the heels of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands to which the event is so closely tied having been born out of the gift of tulip bulbs from the people of the Netherlands as a gesture of thanks to Canada for our leading role in the liberation of their country and for providing sanctuary to the Dutch royal family during the Second World War.
I suspect we owe our appreciation for this puzzle to X-Type, although my setter identification skills have often been proven sadly lacking. For those like myself who are partial to cryptic definitions, this was a real treat.
I must also express my appreciation to Senf for the answer to the Quickie pun. It was a true “phone a friend” (or, rather, email a friend) situation as the river at 8d would have frozen over before I got it on my own.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30923 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by Gazza)
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Crypticsue is having a day off so it’s down to me to provide a few hints for the Saturday Prize Puzzle.
I don’t think there’s much doubt about the identity of today’s setter and he’s given us a very entertaining puzzle. I especially liked 23a and 11d.
Continue reading “DT 30923 (Hints)”
Toughie No 3476 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***/****
Sparks has given us an enjoyable but not too tough pangram today. Thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3476”