Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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Araucaria (John Graham) is the guest on Desert Island Discs at 11:15 this morning – don’t miss it
(you can probably pick it up later on the BBC iPlayer).
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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A warm welcome back to Radler with a cheeky little puzzle that will get the pulses racing! Although there is no theme as such, there is a hidden device used in the puzzle. This is that the outer perimeter of the crossword runs through the alphabet from A to Z.
I found this not as tricky as some Radler crosswords but by no means his easiest. Many thanks to him for the challenge. My favourite clue was 24d.
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Welcome to the latest in our series of weekly puzzles.
This week we have a puzzle from Radler – and there is no theme!
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley. Today we have a quick reappearance by Elgar with a cracking puzzle that as usual raises smiles and makes you think not just outside the box, but outside the fork-lift truck used to lift it. The perimeter answers are all linked and forming phrases and there’s an arty feel to the puzzle.
I’ve tried to explain 5 down but it has me totally confused. There are one or two other tiny quibbles as well, but overall a superlative solve with much to admire.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Afternoon All!. We have another eccellent puzzle from Virgilius this week. I couldn’t see any theme in particular here but let me know if you have spotted anything. No real problems here apart from almost everyone writing TRACTOR in at 6d.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
We have a not-too-difficult offering from Giovanni today (although the instrument in 12a was new to me). Let us know how you got on with it.
If you’re a regular reader of the blog who has never left a comment, now would be a good time to introduce yourself – we’re a friendly lot and promise not to bite!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A lovely Saturday puzzle from 23a this week, proving once again that a cryptic can be fairly straightforward to solve without detracting in any way from the level of enjoyment it gives the solver. Thanks Cephas for the Saturday morning entertainment – I bet 23a was your clue of the day too. My favourites are highlighted in blue.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
A good challenge from Petitjean today which includes several bits of popular culture. This suits me because I’m much happier with popular culture than with obscure classical composers and the like that I’ve never heard of.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Lucky me! Not only do I have two puzzles from Ray T this week but I also get to review both. This one is definitely at the easier end of the scale, but still great fun.