Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Toughie No 3584 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Elgar is not quite at his most fiendish today but it’s all very clever and enjoyable. Thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3584”
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BD Rating - Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another challenging Friday back-page puzzle. Continue reading "DT 31084"
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This puzzle was published on 8th November 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Quintessential Beam today – very tight, very clean. Surprisingly clean-ish, in fact. But don’t worry, the usual wit is still there. 1d, for one! As for difficulty, it really rather depends on whether you’ve got your synonym head on, or not. The bottom half flew in but the top was perhaps slightly knottier. 9a’s “sensitive”, for example, took some thought, though the definition couldn’t have been clearer. In short, a delight, and a lovely way to mark my 100th blog. Where on earth did the time go, eh? All yours.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31083
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
I really enjoyed this perfectly pitched Thursday back page puzzle. Some great surface reads and plenty of clues requiring us to drop or add letters to keep us on our toes. Loads of ticks on my page, including 9a, 22a, 27a, 4d, 6d, 15d and 17d, with my CoD going to 12a – a clever construction and a great word. I will leave you to play “Guess the Setter” as I have no idea. Perhaps he/she will drop in later to take a bow.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to our mystery setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Sue is still off games and we all wish her well, but don’t worry – she’ll be doing star jumps again before you know it. So, I’m afraid you’ve got me instead. You’ll just have to be terribly, terribly brave! Some vintage references from Light today – a 1966 footballer, a post-war singer and a grand old comic. Nostalgic fun. All yours.
Sunday Toughie No 197 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 2nd November 2025 Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 197 (Review)”
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This puzzle was published on 2nd November 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice and entertaining puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “ST 3341 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3581 by Weatherman
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Whybird is away for a couple of Tuesdays and I have been entrusted with the responsibility of filling in for him. This is my debut on Toughie blogging duty, so please be gentle with me. I don’t know whether the DT uses different grids for Toughies, but I have never blogged a puzzle with only 24 clues. Sadly this and the lack of a Quickie Pun will weaken my negotiating position when I approach Gazza for a pay rise!
I got the four long answers first and then made reasonably steady progress until grinding to a halt in the SW corner. 17a, 16d and 18d delayed me for far too long but with hindsight, of course, they probably shouldn’t have done. It’s a good job the blogging deadline for Toughies is 14.00 and not 11.00!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to Weatherman and to the DT Crossword Team.