Big Dave's Crossword Blog – Page 171 – Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English

Sunday Toughie 140 (Hints)

by Sloop John Bee  

Sunday Toughie No 140


by Robyn

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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Robyn a little tougher than we get in his Monday guise (3d!) – but that is as it should be for a Sunday Toughie. I had a bit of trouble parsing a few (14a and 25a) but I think I have them now

Four different ways of indicating outer letters (4a 10a 24a and 3d) but they all work for me and some nice computer-related surfaces too, I was working with a high-level Windows user in 14a for a while until I chucked it out of the window

We have 14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half, I hope you find the checkers to finish this puzzle but I will remain on hand with a bonus nudge if you are stuck

Here we go…

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EV 1662 (Hints)

by The Numpties  

Enigmatic Variations 1662 (Hints)

Invaders by Vismut

Hints and tips by The Numpties

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This is Vismut’s twentieth EV crossword and in the seven years that she has been setting thematic cryptic crosswords, we have seen them in the IQ, EV, Listener and Magpie series.… Continue reading

ST 3284 (Hints)

by Senf  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3284 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where, after a couple of Autumnal days, Summer ‘returned’ with days of sunshine and temperatures in the middle/high 20s but it looks like Autumn will ‘regain control’ starting tomorrow!… Continue reading

Toughie 3348

by Gazza  

Toughie No 3348 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza

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

A typically enjoyable puzzle from Osmosis which is perhaps slightly gentler than what he usually provides. The puzzle has zero anagrams, 25/26th of a pangram and a plentiful supply of abbreviations (I’m glad I’ve set up a shortcut for that word in Microsoft Word).

Thanks to Osmosis.

Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3348”

DT 30730

by Mr K  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No Crossword 30730

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty **** -  Enjoyment **

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. I’d love to say that I sailed through this puzzle, but that would be a lie. The solve involved a fair bit of reverse engineering of some intricate wordplay, along with a dollop of electronic help. All that pondering left no time to search for pics, but I’m sure that the commentariat can provide a few good ones. Continue reading "DT 30730"

Toughie 3347

by Gazza  

Toughie No 3347 by Serpent
Hints and tips by Gazza

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

Serpent is being uncharacteristically gentle today but as enjoyable as ever with some cracking clues. I was only really held up by my mathematical ignorance in 27a. Serpent often hides something in the grid but I can’t spot anything today.

Thanks to Serpent.

Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3347”

DT 30729

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30729
Hints and tips by Shabbo

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

I again solved this in the early hours of this morning and only really appreciated how clever it was when I parsed it properly and commented on all of the clues this morning.… Continue reading