Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Sunday Toughie No 202
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A floughie(ish) Toughie from Beam today, all the Beam trademarks are there Queens sweethearts and initial letters clue and a smattering of underwear.
We have 14a and 16d clues and I have hinted at half. I hope you find the checkers to finish, but some tricky clues have had to remain unhinted, so I will try and provide a nudge if you ask (and I am not out shopping)
Here we go, Folks…
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Following his notable success with Operation Market Garden, I asked Claude, “In a themed crossword, we have to identify some words from an epitaph, unscramble a description of five events, find all but one of the contestants who came first or second in these events, and then establish the final resting place of the remaining contestant. Do you have any ideas?”
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where it has become decidedly cooler with ‘high’ temperatures in the minus mid-teens before the mythical ‘feels like’ is calculated and we now have some of that fluffy white precipitation!
This weekend’s reading, courtesy of the Winnipeg Library – the thirteenth book by Ioana Whishaw, a prequel telling how Lane Winslow got ‘out of the office’ and into ‘field work.’ Only 179 pages so more of a novella than a novel but proving to be as enjoyable as ever.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada somewhere between quirky and off the wall, especially when it came to anagram indicators, with eight anagrams (two partial), one lurker (reversed), and two homophones in a very asymmetric 31 clues – he does like his asymmetry; with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31103 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by Cryptic-Sloop John Bee)
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Sloop here again, I thought I might have had to go down on bended knee to be here again, but I guess that Sue’s is still a bit sensitive to knee comments.
Five linked solutions that are anagrams or partial anagrams have curtailed my hinting of 14a and 16d clues today, but I hope you find enough checkers to fill the lights.
I’m providing hints for what I consider to be some of the harder clues. If you’re really stuck on one of the clues I haven’t hinted I may provide a bit more help. However, I have to take Mama Bee out Christmas shopping/coffee drinking, so beware of the naughty step, as no cake is available.
Please check out Rahmat Ali’s review on Friday; they are always informative and worth a read. They will explain this clever puzzle much more than I can in the hints.
Continue reading “DT 31103 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 201
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A Light(ish) Toughie from Light, that took longer to blog than solve. A slightly uneven 14a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted at half. I hope you find the checkers to solve this fine puzzle. I will try and give a nudge or two if I can, but I am off to see Mumford & Sons tonight, so responses may be a bit late.
The featured image of the Matt Cartoon wouldn’t post where it belonged (as a hint to 1a) so I have left it there.
Mama Bee is nagging to go out for coffee so I will schedule this and talk to you later…
Here we go, Folks…
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Kcit, AKA Phi (also on offer in this week’s EV) or Pedro, has set us a mostly-orderly puzzle. … Continue reading
A very good Sunday morning from Wincanton in Somerset. I am here for the wedding of one of my four nieces, the last of the four to ‘tie the knot.’ Wincanton used to be an important stop on the coaching route from London to Plymouth and there were a number of Coaching Inns in the town, some of which are still in existence as pubs and hotels. One of them, now an art gallery, has an ‘unofficial’ blue plaque on the exterior wall stating that Queen Victoria stayed there, in 1825, as a six year old Princess.
My ‘in flight’ reading for my Eastbound flights, courtesy of the Winnipeg Library – the fourth novel in the Marlow Murder Club series.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quite friendly, with three long ‘uns, five anagrams (two partial), two lurkers, and one homophone in a very asymmetric 29 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31097 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by Gazza)
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We have a special Prize Puzzle today which is a superb tribute to the Telegraph’s Puzzles Editor with all the across answers contributing. Chris Lancaster himself has also written a very moving account of living with the horrible disease that he’s suffering from (MND) – you can read that by following the link contained in this post: https://bigdave44.com/2025/11/29/chris-lancaster/
Continue reading “DT 31097 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 200
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It seems to me that we have been treated to a quite tricky weekend of puzzles from Telegraph Towers. Maybe it is just me being worn out by double duty. For this 200th Sunday Toughie proXimal has started with a Spoonerism and plenty of compound/subtractive anagrams.
16a and 14d clues, and I have hinted at half. As ever, some quite tricky constructions remain beware of lurkers, anagrams and “cycling” of letters. I will try and provide a nudge or two if you get stuck. I ask you (21d) to be aware I may be taking Mama Bee out for coffee and cakes (NOT at Greggs)
Here we go, Folks…
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Today marks a welcome return to the EV stage for a setter whose previous puzzle in the series was Different Relation, back in November 2023.
