A Puzzle by Jaffa
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Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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Toughie No 3664 by Elgar
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Given the battle I had to solve, parse and blog Elgar’s 300th Toughie, I will admit to being more than a little apprehensive when I printed off his 301st, where the last three Down clues had a whole piece of paper to themselves. I was both relieved and delighted to find that he had set us his friendliest crossword for many a long year; I did know the hymn and the unknown catalogue was fairly clued; and the whole was most entertaining, my favourites being the brilliant 26a and 12d
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Today we have a fun puzzle with tight cryptic grammar, solid definitions and nothing too esoteric. Continue reading "DT 31204"
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This puzzle was published on 28th March 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A slightly tough Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and subsequently writing a review for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “DT 31199 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***/****
Beam’s back with his usual flurry of synonyms, the Queen, a sweetheart, and – of course – no anagrams. Scant sauce though, so maybe he listened to Jane – of whom I know we are all thinking, especially having seen today’s latest update. Everything crossed.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31203
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter (I’ll leave you to guess his or her identity) for an entertaining puzzle.
Continue reading “DT 31203”
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Wednesday back-pager blog. I approached today’s crossword with some trepidation, as the first puzzle that I blogged – Vintage puzzle 20 – was originally published on 1st April 1978, and had a surprise twist that caught me unawares. Thankfully there were no such pitfalls today, and everything was fairly clued throughout. The standout clues for me were 20a, 18a, 28a, 14d, 24d, and my favourite, the painful riding experience in 16a. Many thanks to our setter.