Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Sue is still bouncing back, so I’m afraid you’ve got me again. But I’m delighted to blog another Silvanus – only my second. Whip-smart as always. The top left stumped me initially but I quickly moved on and it all flowed pretty smoothly from there. As we know, there’s always a way in. It just wasn’t the NW! All yours.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31094
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
An entertaining midweek puzzle which I really enjoyed – many thanks to our setter.
Continue reading “DT 31094”
Sunday Toughie No 199 by Zandio
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 16th November 2025
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This puzzle was published on 16th November 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Kolkata. A fairly gentle puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable comments. Continue reading “ST 3343 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3589 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Konnichiwa! Which I have learned is the appropriate Japanese greeting for those viewing this shortly after the GMT publication time. Thank you to Shabbo for filling in whilst I was on my travels – very much appreciated! Cranes, eagles and owl all successfully tracked down and “ticked” along with many other avian delights, with the added bonus of great food, beautiful scenery (and some not-quite-so-beautiful fishing ports) and atmospheric Onsens. And plenty of 12d’s illustration in the moat of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.
I was delighted to see Chalicea’s name on the page today; just the ticket for a return to duty, and I wasn’t disappointed. I found this to be reasonably straightforward, although leavened with some sneaky bits of “general not-knowledge” that I had to check. The clues are all clear and elegantly concise – definitely to my taste, although some of the NW corner held out a little longer than the rest. I particularly like 19a and 26d, and 6d also makes the podium for the solution being a lovely word. Thanks to Chalicea for such a warm welcome on my return to the Big Dave Blogosphere!
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa where a dusting of snow overnight has created a wintery landscape. Christmas preparations are officially underway with the city’s Christmas tree having been lit on Friday and several Santa Claus parades occurring over the weekend. Many retailers, however, were putting out their Christmas displays before the Halloween goods were even off the shelves.
Today’s offering (presumably from X-Type) provides a very gentle introduction to the week’s roster of puzzles so it shouldn’t hold you up too long from getting on with your own Christmas preparations.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Toughie No 3588 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
We have a typical Osmosis puzzle with cunningly-disguised definitions, clever wordplay, nothing really obscure and a welcome lack of anagrams. I enjoyed the challenge – thanks to Osmosis.
Continue reading “Toughie 3588”
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a solid and enjoyable Friday puzzle. I’m afraid that work and other commitments meant that I started solving and hinting today very late, meaning that I was once again left with no time to hunt for suitable pictures. I hope that the commentariat will provide a few. I shall try to do better in the future. Continue reading "DT 31090"
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This puzzle was published on 15th November 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A slight tough but entertaining Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31085 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
The usual cleverness from Django. Some quirky little tricks, fun definitions and a riot of 80s reference – in (bar 28a!) a good way. All yours.