Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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This puzzle was published on 28th February 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A highly entertaining Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback. Continue reading “DT 31175 (Full Review)”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
It’s Beam, so you know what to expect – sweethearts, a Queen, a flurry of imaginative synonyms and no anagrams. Over to you.
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31179
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
A really enjoyable puzzle which ticked all the boxes. Thanks to our setter.
Continue reading “DT 31179”
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
Good morning from a sunny and springlike South Hampshire. Once again we have an excellent midweek puzzle, with some cracking clues. This was the hardest of the week for me so far, mainly because it took me a while to identify the Russian spymaster in 3d. The clues that made it to my (somewhat overcrowded) podium today were 4a, 9a, 2d, 14d and 19d, with 9a the winner by a whisker. Many thanks to today’s setter.
Toughie No 3645 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Namaste! Many thanks to Gazza for filling in for the past two weeks whilst I “trundled” around India seeing most of the cast of the Jungle Book, through some absolutely wonderful wildlife experiences– although the leopards weren’t black – and eating equally wonderful food . I thought I might return somewhat lighter and slimmer, but that hasn’t happened at all. Fortunately, the return flight from Delhi was direct to Heathrow, and the normal route is well north of the Gulf, so everything went smoothly. I’m disappointed to see I missed blogging a Tuesday Django – I’d been looking forward to that pleasure, so I hope the chance comes around again soon.
I was hoping for a gentle reintroduction to the blog, but that hasn’t happened. Dada has given us a quirky puzzle, which I think would have fitted in reasonably well later in the week. Perhaps the cough and head cold I have acquired, coupled with the “safari massage” my body has endured, has deadened my senses somewhat, but I found this rather tricky. My podium places are occupied by 2d, 16a and 21a today.
Thanks to Dada for a re-baptism of fire.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
Well I don’t know whether or not strictly speaking spring is here but after yesterday’s warm sunshine & a similar start to the day here in Harpenden it certainly feels like it.
I thought today’s puzzle (from Anthony Plumb I assume) about on a par with X-Type yesterday. As ever tightly clued & perfectly enjoyable albeit for me at least not hitting the heights of last week so it’ll be interesting to see what others make of it.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where, following a brief spell where the daytime temperatures got above the freezing point, we are about to return to more frigid temperatures. It’s definitely a long way from spring here. This idea of spring starting on March 1st that Senf mentioned yesterday must be an invention of British meteorologists. I’ve never encountered it on this side of the pond.
I will not hazard a guess as to today’s setter. Smylers figures that at least four setters may be sharing Monday duties. Unless a setter displays characteristics as distinctive as those of RayT, I am hopeless at identifying them.
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.
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Toughie No 3644 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
An enjoyable but quite tough puzzle from Sparks today with several answers which I needed to verify. Sparks often gives us something extra in the grid – the only thing I can see today is that many answers start with E and there are two big E-shapes in the grid. Can you spot anything else?
Continue reading “Toughie 3644”