Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Chalicea’s magic dictionary gets a well-earned rest this week with only 9a and 12d needing Chamberchecks. A very gentle kick-start to the week and a nice mix: five anagrams, five double definitions, four alternates and two lurkers, etc.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
It’s always grand to see Chalicea back on a Tuesday and she’s been quite sparing with her magic dictionary today, with just a splodge of Spanish, a dash of second-string definitions and, of course, a fourth stomach.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
A warm welcome back to Chalicea who’s been remarkably sparing with her magic dictionary today. She has, in fact, been typically kind. Good, honest entertainment and – as ever – plenty of smiles.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A hearty welcome back for Chalicea. She’s always hugely enjoyable and, better yet, I don’t (usually) have to look for – and invariably miss – a pangram or, worse still, a pesky Nina.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
I’m still chuckling about a back-handed aside from the wife. “You’re a very strange man,” she told me in Budapest after I’d hunted down an FT (Robyn was playing away as Buccaneer) whilst she tried – and thankfully failed – to get tickets for a four-hour (ugh) opera, adding: “You prefer crosswords to porn and Woman’s Hour says that’s extremely unusual”.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
I hope you all braved Isha and are now safely braced for Jocelyn. I’ve sought refuge with my two latest finds – Brazilian coffee beans (a 1kg Waitrose special for £10, AKA two flat whites from Starbucks) and the new-ish, not-before-time orange Yorkie.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Hello everyone from, at the time of writing, a mild and sunny South Devon coast. The prolific Chalicea gets us in the groove this week with a puzzle that despite a couple dated references and clunky surface reads I enjoyed solving.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Hello everyone from grey(ish) South Devon coast.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **/***
Hello everyone from a lovely sunny and mild South Devon coast.
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Hello everyone from a sunny South Devon coast.