Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Osmosis is Michael Warburton. He is also Scorpion of the Independent and Aardvark of the Financial Times.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A typical Osmosis Toughie with lots of initial letters, inside letters and outside letters punctuated by the occasional very clever clue.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment **
Probably the hardest puzzle of the week, but, for me, lacking in the entertainment department.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
There is a festive theme to today’s puzzle. It’s not too difficult, so why not have a go?
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Tilsit is off to chat up the nurses at the hospital again! The online Telegraph Puzzles site originally announced that this was an Elgar puzzle, but it didn’t take long to realise that Vlad is taking a prolonged sabbatical and this one is from the hand of Osmosis.
The subheading is an additional hint for 12 across!
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Bufo is away today, but both of us will be in Derby on Saturday, so why not come along as well.
This was a fairly typical Osmosis puzzle, not too easy and not too difficult.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from the Calder Valley. Thanks to our lovely double acts for covering while I was incapacitated.
It’s Friday and this week Osmosis is here to taunt and tease us. A pleasant solve with not too much to tax the brain, although there are the usual hallmarks of our setter – unusual indicators of one and two letters, along with elegant and unusual, and occasionally stretchy, definitions.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Alas young Tilsit is still getting his money’s worth from the NHS, so we are back again. Not the most difficult Friday Toughie, although Cleo did need Tony to explain a couple of bits of wordplay as she was being a little dense this morning.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
I proceeded steadily through this puzzle (a pangram) but never really got into top gear and ended up spending some time trying to work out a synonym for sooty at 23d. It has a number of entertaining clues, but perhaps too many of the type ‘x contains y’.
What do you think? Leave us a comment and please click on one of the stars below to rate the puzzle for enjoyment.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley and a big thanks to Crypticsue for stepping in and helping me and covering for me over the past couple of weeks. Today’s Friday Fiend is Osmosis and he returns with a suitably difficult puzzle that caused a fair bit of head scratching. The puzzle is full of the usual Osmosis hallmarks, including a reference to his beloved Manchester United.
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment **/***
Not entirely sure exactly what Matron did to young Tilsit, but he is still not up to crossword blogging duties so I have crept out of the weekend corner once again.
Osmosis has given us one of those crosswords where you finish off each corner in turn – in my case NE, SE, NW and finally SW – and once you have finished wrestling you are not entirely sure you enjoyed yourself. It has grown on me a bit while sorting out the review and I even have a few favourites, highlighted in blue.