Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment **/***
Very relaxed for a Thursday Toughie, with a one-in-four anagram count adding further grease to the wheel. Is it just me or is the leap to a Friday Elgar growing wider by the week? ‘Twas alway a step-up – and rightly so – but the gap now seems interplanetary! The floor, as ever, is yours.
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BD Rating – Difficulty 2.5* – Enjoyment 4.5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where, on Tuesday, I carried out my civic duty of (advanced) voting in this month’s municipal elections. Interestingly, at the municipal council level in Manitoba there are no political parties. While the political ‘leanings’ of candidates may be known, every council is an essentially non-partisan ‘committee’ with the mayor, as chair of the committee, being elected ‘municipality wide.’
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), not a Dream Team Thursday, Silvanus was on Toughie duty yesterday and it is Kcit’s turn today. But, there is no doubt that this is the very entertaining work of the Master of Brevity. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, no sign of Ray T’s swEetheart, but there is a plain sweetheart in the back pager. Nothing to excite the latent third formers among us. Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Unusually for both a Wednesday and a Silvanus crossword, I found this to be a proper Toughie – my favourite Across clue was 28a and my favourite Down clue was 8d, as both of them mde me smile
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. For me, today’s puzzle was fairly gentle for a Wednesday – about the same level of difficulty as yesterday’s and Monday’s crosswords. One of the answers was a word I hadn’t come across before, but was fairly clued.
Amongst my favourite clues were 9a, 29a and 23d, but tying for first place are 22a (a lovely word) and 28a, which brought the biggest laugh of the day. Many thanks to our setter.
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This puzzle was published on 27th September 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. Dada has given us an enjoyable solve this Sunday and now I present to you a full review of his puzzle. Hope to have your valuable feedback and comments. Continue reading “ST 3388 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3769 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Whybird is abroad on work-related matters this week so I’m standing in for him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3769”
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where there is no doubt that fall has arrived and the autumn leaves can be seen in their full splendour. In Canada, we interchangeably use the terms fall (a term that apparently was once in use in the UK and brought to North America by early British settlers) and autumn (seemingly a word of French origin that appears to have totally supplanted the word fall in the UK to the point that Brits think fall is an Americanism).
Fortunately, today’s challenge was not too difficult as I was labouring to complete it while distracted by other matters. I suspect it may be the work of Heron; I should know in the morning (it’s still Sunday evening in Ottawa as I write this) as she usually claims ownership of her puzzles on Bluesky.
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.
Enigmatic Variations 1767 (Hints)
GREAT LEADERS by VISMUT
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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Gemini wasn’t much help this time – though it did cough up the homily that “Chambers (2016) is your Bible” (request to the editors: please work with the AI companies and make all your content available to them!).… Continue reading
Sunday Toughie No 245
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I found this from proXimal at the tougher end of my ability spectrum, not because of the Spooner that fell early doors, but one of the compound anagrams had a tricky to spot definition in the middle. I was on the verge of phoning a friend just before the penny dropped!
I hope you have an easier time than I did, but I will try and give a nudge if you ask.
The brass bands on Wetherby Ings are finished for the season, so even if we have a blue sky today, Mama Bee and I won’t be going far
Here we go, Folks…
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where the word FR*ST is beginning to appear in weather forecasts and reports!
For me, and I stress for me,© same as last week, Dada very friendly once I had cracked two or three clues. Four long ‘uns, six anagrams (two partials), one lurker, and two homophones, all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand! You might even need your favourite e-search ‘assistant’!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!