Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
John Halpern has been the regular Sunday setter since he took over from Brian Greer on 18th November 2018. He is also known as Dada.
Sunday Toughie No 184
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
After the Centenary celebrations, we are back to normal with this fine Beam toughie. All his signatures are there, toilet humour, initial letters, underwear, queens and sweethearts and an impressive five-and-a-bit words per clue.
We have a generous 16a and 16d clues, and I have hinted just less than half, allowing me to provide a nudge or two if required.
Here we go, Folks…
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where the heat, humidity, and smoke continue – roll on September when it should start cooling down.
For me, and I stress for me,© after yesterday’s GCHQ brain mangling normal service has been restored! Dada quite friendly with 6 anagrams (two partials), two lurkers, and two homophones all in an almost symmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, on Monday, I had my annual MOT. Apparently, there is life in the old dog yet, although that is subject to the analysis of the contents of my left arm after it is ‘drained’ tomorrow and a more comprehensive test, probing my nether regions, on a date to be determined.
For me, and I stress for me,© I can’t recall using this descriptor for a Dada puzzle before, a curate’s egg – four long uns, a plethora of ten anagrams (somewhat ameliorated by six partials), two lurkers, and no homophones all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where the heat, humidity, and smoke continue!
For me, and I stress for me©, Dada quirkily friendly – four long uns around the perimeter, six anagrams (two partials), two lurkers, and one homophone all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Sunday Toughie No 181
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Not as easy as last week from Beam, not as hard as the last from Light. I had to scratch my crumpet several times and slept on a couple of parsings, but I think I have them now.
14a and 16d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you get the checkers to finish. I will try and provide a bonus hint if required and connectivity permits.
As you will see, I have been experimenting with spoilers – I hope they work
Here we go, Folks…
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where we have another Province wide State of Emergency because of the once more increasing wildfire situation. Some Northern communities are being evacuated for the second time and some for the first time. Resulting from drifting smoke, air quality across the Province is very poor. An Air Quality Index (AQI), on an 11-point scale, from 1 to 10 and ‘Plus’ is calculated using a very peculiar formula. An AQI of 1 is Low Risk, 10 is High Risk, and Plus (anything more than 10) is Very High Risk. For the last few days we have been at least 9. Very unpleasant when one goes outside.
For me, and I stress for me©, Dada reasonably friendly until I had a cataclysmic senior moment in the SE – five anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and one homophone all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Sunday Toughie No 180
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Beam here with quite a friendly Sunday Toughie, all his trademarks are present, and apart from the sailors at 1d, I don’t think this will trouble THE LIST™committee or solvers too much. All the Beam trademarks are present with a fair bit of “ooh er missus” 17a double entendre.
We have a generous 16a and 16d clues, and I have hinted less than half, allowing me to provide a nudge or two if required.
Here we go, Folks…
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, after almost a week in a Turkish Bath with an occasional thunderstorm, we are forecast to have some sensible low to middle 20s temperatures before we go back into Turkish Bath conditions.
For me, and I stress for me©, Dada less friendly than he has been recently – six anagrams (two partials), one lurker, and three homophones all in a symmetric 30 clues; with a generous 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 18a, 24a, 5d, 17d, and 20d.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the what I very subjectively perceive to be the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, on Friday, the clock was turned back almost fifty years when the historic and iconic intersection of Portage and Main (Portage Avenue and Main Street) was reopened to pedestrians. During the years of closure, pedestrians have had to rely on a circular underground concourse which has become more and more dilapidated and some believe more unsafe.
For me, and I stress for me©, and, once again, I hope I don’t upset or annoy anyone, perhaps some will agree with me, Dada almost as friendly as he was last week and creatively adding to the list of anagram indicators – eight anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and one homophone all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 21a, 24a, 25a, 2d, 11d, and 16d.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the what I very subjectively perceive to be the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where it was approximately 10 degrees cooler on my Saturday evening compared to 24 hours earlier, when I was struggling a little with the SPP, giving ideal conditions for solving and hinting half of a Dada puzzle.
For me, and I stress for me©, and I hope I don’t upset or annoy anyone, perhaps some will agree with me, the friendliest Dada has ever been for all of the 343 of his Sunday puzzles I have blogged, I suppose one could ask if it is a Dada puzzle at all – eight anagrams (two partials), two lurkers both reversed, and two homophones all in an asymmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 13a, 27a, 3d, 8d, and 18d.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.