Big Dave's Crossword Blog – Page 1237 – Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English

Toughie 780

Toughie No 780 by Firefly

Great Expectations

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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***

This is an enjoyable but fairly meaty Toughie – I struggled with the SE corner where the last few clues took me as long as the rest of the puzzle put together. The last time I blogged a Firefly Toughie I missed the fairly obvious theme – I’ve looked a bit harder at this one but can’t spot anything (famous last words). Thanks to Firefly for the entertainment.
Please let us know how you got on and use the star system (below) to indicate how much you enjoyed it.

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DT 26879

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26879

Hints and tips by pommers

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Hola from the Vega Baja.  The usual excellent stuff to brighten up an already bright and sunny Wednesday morning! Maybe I’m just in a good mood today but I really enjoyed this puzzle even though it didn’t last long. As is often the case with a Jay puzzle it’s probably better to start with the downs – on first pass through I got 5 of the acrosses but then 12 of the downs and for once the two long anagrams fell quickly!

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Toughie 779

Toughie No 779 by Excalibur

Surprise, Surprise!

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Yes, I was surprised as this is not a bad puzzle. A few minor quibbles, but overall a big improvement on recent crosswords from this setter.

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DT 26878

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26878

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

Most of the clues today are fairly straightforward but the compiler has thrown in a few trickier ones (18a and 7d, for example) to keep us on our toes and there are also a couple where a bit of general knowledge is required, so I’ve upped the difficulty rating to three stars. Let us know how you got on.
If you need to reveal an answer just highlight the space between the brackets below the clue.

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ST 2641 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2641 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the more difficult clues and provide hints for them.

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DT 26876 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26876 (Hints)

Big Dave’s Crossword Club

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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.

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Toughie 778

Toughie No 778 by Micawber

Magical Mystery Tour

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment *****

What a week of Toughies for me – first Dada, then Notabilis and now Tilsit has gifted me a Micawber while he goes to chat up the nurses at the hospital.  And what a great puzzle it is.

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