Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Kia ora from Aotearoa.
Just one Kiwi in the blogging chair this week.
Our procession of violent, wet cold fronts has now moved away and we are back to a much more acceptable type of winter weather.… Continue reading
Sunday Toughie No 20 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 12th of June 2022
This was a tricky little devil that took me a lot longer to solve than the previous proXimal I blogged for the holidaying Deep Threat (Two days earlier #30,010). It is impressive how the other SJB (Steven J Bartlett) can pitch his puzzles with just the right level of difficulty between his back page and toughie puzzles. I believe I get one more go in DT’s blogging chair on the 1st of July, I wonder who I will get then.
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This puzzle was published on 12th June 2022
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from Kolkata.… Continue reading
Toughie No 2873 by Dada
Hints and tips by Miffypops
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I had no idea who set this puzzle when I solved it.… Continue reading
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BD Rating - Difficulty ** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Tuesday. Our setter this week appears to have politics and hospital grumbles on their mind. I do hope that’s not the result of any unhappy real event. It’s all presented with smooth surfaces, disguised definitions, and quite a few smiles along the way that made for an enjoyable solve. Continue reading "DT 30019"
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Hola from the Vega Baja where the heatwave may be coming to an end at last! Forecast is for only (only!) 33°C today and similar for the rest of the week. That’s still hotter than usual for mid-June but a relief after the last week or so of crazy temperatures.  Suffice it to say that I was in Granada last week and the temperature was 42°C for three days running. That’s unheard of in mid-June and even unusual for late July or early August!
Anyway, on to the puzzle. It is what, for me, has become a classic Monday. It’s elegantly clued and not too hard but with a couple of tricky ones in the mix to keep us all on our toes. It was a great welcome back to crosswordland after ten days away on hols. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Continue reading “DT 30018”
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Another tricky toughie that delayed the final swig of Laphroiagh until the wee small hours. I am awake now, refreshed and suitably caffeinated, ready to hint at today’s Robyn Toughie. As is usual for these toughies I am struggling to curtail my hinting to about half. Pictures may help to nudge in the right direction.
In Big Dave’s absence, Tilsit has been taking his responsibilities as the head of the Village Elders seriously and has been exercising his RED pencil on some comments. He may even want to cut some of my hints down!
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On the crossword database we see that The Ace of Hearts has been compiling crosswords since 2015 for The Listener, Inquisitor, Magpie, Crossword and the Enigmatic Variations series. This is his ninth EV crossword. Continue reading “EV 1544 (Hints)”
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where we are experiencing a mini-heatwave – we reached 28 (feels like 32) degrees yesterday, with 36 (feels like 43) degrees forecast for today, and 32 (feels like 42) degrees for tomorrow.… Continue reading