Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Beam is Ray Terrell, who also sets regular cryptics which are usually published on Thursdays
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
It’s Beam, so you know what to expect – sweethearts, a Queen, a flurry of imaginative synonyms and no anagrams. Over to you.
Sunday Toughie No 212 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 15th of February 2026
Sunday Toughie No 212
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A generous 16a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted half, I hope you find the checkers to finish. I will try to give an extra nudge if you ask.
Mama Bee needs shopping, so I may be replying from the aisles. I will get back as soon as I am able.
Here we go, Folks…
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
Standard Beam fare – a sweetheart, a queen and an imaginative, tight word count … but no lavatorial humour today. Who could he have been listening to?! Over to you.
Sunday Toughie No 208 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 18th of January 2026
Sunday Toughie No 208
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Beam has brought us a generous 32 clues today and I have hinted half. I had a bit of parsing trouble last night, but I hope I have got them right. I hope you find the checkers to finish this fine puzzle and I will try and give a bonus nudge or two if you are struggling.
Why I was struggling a bit last night – I was nearer the keyboard monitor than the keyboard player!
Here we go, Folks…
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
The usual synonym work-out from Beam who has dreamed up more alternatives for “run” than I would have thought possible! Sweetheart and Queen both make a welcome re-appearance. Some lateral thinking may be required but it’s fairly straightforward. All yours.
Sunday Toughie No 205 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 28th of December 2025
Sunday Toughie No 205
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Not the trickiest Beam today, with a generous 16a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to finish. I will try and give an extra nudge if you are struggling.
Cold cuts and the cheeseboard for lunch today. I hope you are not snowed under by leftovers.
Here we go, Folks…
Sunday Toughie No 202 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 7th of December 2025