Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Hints and tips for completing Daily Telegraph Cryptic crosswords
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
No &lits/all-in-ones today, but a few clues of particular kinds that we expect from this setter.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
I thought that this was quite a stiff test from Giovanni today, though a lot of my difficulty was of my own making since I initially wrote in “crab” for 12a and so could get nowhere with 5d. As always, we appreciate all comments from solvers.
If you’re stuck for an answer, you’ll find them hidden between the curly brackets – just drag your cursor through the space between the brackets to reveal one.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Trickier than I expected for a Busman toughie but no real problems understanding the clues except for 23 down which I really had to think about.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Afternoon All!. This week we had what I considered a great puzzle from Cephas. It contained all his usual hallmarks, including some great cryptic definitions, some well constructed charades and one barely cryptic definition as well!. The enjoyment for me came from this,the range of definitions and also the fact that the less well known words were well constructed so there was no doubt that the answer arrived at was, in fact, the correct one.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Thursday has become Mystery Setter day, and this is yet another one. Relatively easy, with some nice touches.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
To get an Elgar on a Wednesday is a bit of a surprise and a real treat. The puzzle is packed full of inventive and witty clues and I loved it.
Your comments, as always, are welcome and please remember to click on one of the stars below to show how much you enjoyed it.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
There’s little more I can say about Jay’s puzzles. Just enjoy solving this one.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
Another not-so-toughie from Cephas.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
This is the first time I have blogged a Tuesday crossword, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I am pretty sure (even though 27a is (6,5)) that this is one of Ray T’s. Gazza informs me that today’s Toughie is easier than the normal cryptic. So today is probably a good day to have a go at the Toughie as well.
If the hint is not enough to give you the answer – highlight the space between the curly brackets.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Libellule is powerless this morning, so he and I have swapped and he’ll be tussling with tomorrow’s setter. It’s a cliché to say that Rufus provides us with a nice, gentle start to the week, but that’s exactly what he does. The puzzle may not be as difficult as some we’ll get later in the week, but mixed in with the easy clues are some excellent cryptic definitions – just what I needed, in fact, on a miserable, dark, rainy morning. My dog had the right idea – he took one look outside then went straight back to bed.
Please feel free to let us know your thoughts in a comment, and if you need to see an answer highlight the space between the brackets under the relevant clue.