Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Currently Thursday does not appear to have a regular setter, although since Autumn 2010 Ray T features frequently. During 2009 almost all of the Thursday puzzles were set by Jay.
Toughie No 3415 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I thought that Silvanus had increased his difficulty level very slightly with this Toughie but the quality and enjoyment is as high as ever. Many thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3415”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30831
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
I loved this! My first ever 5* (I think) for enjoyment. I will happily forgo my blogging fee for today!
Silvanus is on Toughie duty today and this is definitely not RayT, so I am running a book on Guess the Setter. Senf has promised to bring a couple of toonies all the way from Canada as prize money, although he doesn’t know this yet! No point in trying to bribe me, as I have no idea who wrote this gem, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I found it quite challenging in parts, so no doubt there will be some who complain that it is too difficult, but I would suggest that you just take a moment to reread the clues and admire the skill of this setter. It is really difficult to pick a Clue of the Day, but if pushed, I would probably go for the very clever 9a. A nod of appreciation to the Quickie Pun as well.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Great stuff. Thank you clever setter.
Toughie No 3411 by Karla
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Karla has upped the difficulty level a bit from his last Toughie but this is still relatively straightforward, albeit with a couple of words that I didn’t know. I enjoyed solving the puzzle – thanks Karla.
Continue reading “Toughie 3411”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30825
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
There I was thinking that perhaps we had a different compiler today, when I came across our setter’s calling cards, confirming that it is indeed our regular alternate Thursday master of brevity (5.2 words/clue). A most enjoyable puzzle, with my joint CoD going to 24a and 9d. A couple of definitions that I needed to check, but otherwise nothing to frighten the runners at 23d. Three “men” appear in 30a, 2d and 7d (all clued differently, of course) and there are only three anagrams to get your teeth into.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you setter.
Toughie No 3407 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Thanks to Beam for another entertaining puzzle with all his usual trademarks.
Continue reading “Toughie 3407”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30819
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Perfect Thursday fare. Thank you setter.
When blogging I tend to concentrate on the parsing, for obvious reasons, and my page is full of scribbled notes. Having now re-read all of the clues, I can admire the smooth surface reads and appreciate how good this puzzle is. Not a single clue that looks or sounds like a crossword clue – they all read perfectly well as sentences in their own right. I was grateful for the checking letters to confirm the spelling of 12a and 22a. I had too many ticks to list here. Which were your favourites?
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Toughie No 3403 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Thanks to Silvanus for this very enjoyable puzzle which sets a high standard for Toughies in 2025 without being overly tough.
Continue reading “Toughie 3403”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30813
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning and HNY to all fellow puzzlers.
No prizes at all for Guess the Setter today. The Queen and the sweetheart give it away amongst 32 top quality clues from the master of brevity, who is getting ever closer to breaking the five words/clue barrier. Today’s puzzle is 5.1 words/clue, to save you the trouble of working it out (it’s all part of the service) and not a double definition in sight! My LOI in this enjoyable puzzle was 21a, which took me a while to parse. I would also give a nod to the Quickie Pun. Thank you, RayT.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Toughie No 3399 by Karla
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Karla has given us a really gentle Toughie today, perhaps taking into account our possibly fragile condition after yesterday’s excesses. In his first Toughie he incorporated a very subtle Nina which nobody (including the blogger) spotted. I can’t see any Nina or theme today – can you?
Continue reading “Toughie 3399”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30807
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Happy Boxing Day to you all. I trust you all had a pleasant day yesterday and are all in tip top condition to take on this tricky puzzle – maybe you are solving it en famille – that should be fun? This is definitely not the work of either of our regular Thursday setters, so everyone can have a go at Guess the Setter. My money is on Twmbarlwm, but I am rubbish at identifying setters, so please feel free to ignore me.
1a and 1d eluded me for far too long, which slowed me down considerably in the NW corner. Much to like and plenty of penny drop moments elsewhere. My last one in was 18d – the checking letters made the answer obvious, but it took me forever to parse it. Very clever. Plenty of ticks on my paper with the slightly odd surface read at 1a being my only gripe, although the definition was cleverly concealed. A nod to the five-word groanworthy and clunky Quickie Pun, which I couldn’t see at all – thanks to the current Mrs Shabbo for unravelling it, assuming she has got it right, of course!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, Setter.