Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
When Anax posted yesterday that there would be an Elkamere puzzle today I got the knives out and started sharpening them. Sadly I’ll have to put them away for another week at least. But we did get an enjoyable puzzle today which wasn’t too difficult once I’d established a bridgehead. I needed to think a bit more than usual to work out some of the wordplay.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
This puzzle exhibits the unmistakeable characteristics of one of my favourite setters. A glance at the Quick crossword confirms that Ray T is our Thursday Tormentor.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
When I found out last night that my task today was to review an Excalibur puzzle I wasn’t too disappointed because I thought that her previous one was pretty good. Sadly, this one isn’t! It’s nowhere near Toughie standard and many of the clues are weak (this is not helped by the grid having no less than fourteen four-letter words).
Please let us know how you found the puzzle and take the time to register your enjoyment of it by clicking on one of the stars below.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from blustery Ottawa where we are currently in the midst of a blizzard. Today’s puzzle is a fairly typical offering from Jay – if perhaps a bit less difficult than usual – with lots of clues where one must either strip the outer letters from words or eviscerate words.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
I have complained in the past that some of Giovanni’s Toughies would be better suited to the back page. Not this one! This was, in my opinion, his best for a long time. A number of lesser-known words and one of those anagrams that is indicated by part of the answer – all conspire to make this a lot harder than the usual Tuesday fare.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Libellule is still tied up today so you’re stuck with me once again – that’s the bad news. The good news is that our manager has taken advantage of the January transfer window to sign up an exciting brand new blogger who will be making his or her debut on Friday – so that’s something different to look forward to.
Today’s puzzle by the Mysteron is just about as straightforward as they get and it’s only really my abysmal typing skills which have promoted it from one to two stars for difficulty. However, as we always say, the difficulty level is nothing to do with the enjoyment factor, and it contains some entertaining clues. It does, unfortunately, offer limited opportunities for visual aids.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
It’s hectic chez Libellule this morning so he and I have done a swap and he’ll be here tomorrow. This gives me the opportunity to blog a Rufus puzzle. I enjoyed this one (double unches and all) with its beautifully smooth surface readings. Let us know how you got on.
In case my hints prove inadequate the answers are also provided – just highlight the space between the brackets under the clues.
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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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A welcome back to Gazza with an enjoyable crossword with lots to amuse and entertain. It was maybe not a cheeky as some of his earlier ones and had more than its fair share of abbreviations and remove the final letter of a word clues. However, this did not detract from the fun of solving it and there were lots of penny drop moments. My favourite clues are highlighted in blue.
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It’s time once again for a meeting in London so come along and join us at The Bridge House, 13 Westbourne Terrace Road, London, W2 6NG on the 28th January – any time between 12noon and 7.00pm.
All are welcome and, as usual, we have picked a pub that enables you to enjoy a host of real ales. Click on either of the pictures for further details of the venue.
