Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Friday’s current setter is Don Manley who is also known as Giovanni, Duck, Pasquale, Quixote, and Bradman (all punningly connected with the name Don or Donald)
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs, damp after overnight rain, with the promise of more to come.
A couple of clues in the NW corner held me up a little this morning, putting the solving time right on the border between ** and ***
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs on a mild morning with the sun breaking through th early mist.
A fairly typical Friday puzzle from Giovanni this morning. Understanding the wordplay in 22d, my last one in, almost pushed me into *** time, hence the borderline marking.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs on an overcast, grey and drizzly morning.
A rather strange feeling to this puzzle from Giovanni, in that it felt quite tricky while I was solving it, with some interesting pieces of wordplay, but the clock on the Telegraph site told me I’d finished comfortably within ** time. It will be interesting to see what others have made of it.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where the morning has started bright, and we seem to have missed the worst of the overnight rain.
I found today’s Giovanni easier than the last couple, only just into ** time for me, but enjoyable all the same.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs where the sun is just coming up as I write this.
Giovanni has given us his trademark religious and classical references, unusual words and the odd Shakespearean reference this morning.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs on another sunny autumn morning.
A nice pangram from Giovanni today – and if I’d realised sooner that I was looking for a pangram, I wouldn’t have taken so long to get 7d, my last one in.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from Umberleigh in North Devon, where we are spending a few days. A damp, grey start to the day has now given way to beautiful late September sunshine.
Most of today’s puzzle from Giovanni went in without difficulty, but the last couple tipped me into *** time, with 7d the last one in.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs in the still United Kingdom on a dull, grey morning.
I fairly rattled through today’s Giovanni, only coming into ** territory because I had one letter wrong in 16d and had to go back to correct it. But then I knew the French word which makes up part of 25a and the vessel in 4d.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs on an overcast September morning.
Giovanni is in fairly tricky mode today, *** for difficulty as far as I was concerned.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from Killala in County Mayo, where we are staying for a few days. My host suggests this post should be called ‘the blog from the bog’.
One or two less common terms from Giovanni today, which took me up to the top end of ** for difficulty.