Big Dave's Crossword Blog – Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English

 Welcome

Welcome to Big Dave’s Crossword Blog

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

You have reached the world’s biggest and best crossword blog.  If you are looking for help with the Daily and Sunday Telegraph cryptic crosswords or the Enigmatic Variations advanced cryptic, a total of 13 puzzles a week, then you have come to the right place.

If this is your first time, or for more information about this site, please click on Continue reading “Welcome”

DT 30770

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30770

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****

“Kia ora. Kiwis are normally shy creatures who spend most of the day asleep and come out only at night, but we have emerged, blinking into the light to bring you our very first review of a Wednesday puzzle. It has taken much beak scratching.”

The above is part of the preamble we wrote in September 2014 on our very first BigDave blog. Today, the statistics on our computer tell us that this is our blog number 500 so we have decided that it would be an appropriate time to step aside and return to our underground nest as kiwis do as daylight approaches.
Before we started blogging we used to secretly refer to Big Dave as The Headmaster and the team of bloggers as The Prefects and it was a great honour to be invited into the prefect’s study. We still feel in awe of those amongst us who do so much behind the scenes to keep everything running so smoothly.
We don’t intend to leave the site but to continue to solve puzzles and make comments as we have done for so long but we will be able to use the word ‘Wednesday’ again instead of ‘Blogday’.

Once again we found a few tricky pieces in today’s puzzle to keep us on our toes.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Continue reading “DT 30770”

DT 30769

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30769
Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***

Another pleasant & pretty straightforward ‘typically Tuesdayish’ puzzle from AP that was maybe a tad easier than yesterday’s Robyn production. Hopefully no mistakes in the hints (which I doubt many will need) as I’m off to the Odyssey cinema in St Albans to see a matinee showing of My Favourite Cake, which I read good things about – though with the sun shining & not too cold I’m rather regretting not having arranged to play golf instead.

In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.

Continue reading “DT 30769”

DT 30768

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30768

Hints and tips by Falcon

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Ottawa, where – as for many of you around the world – Remembrance Day is being marked today. In addition to today’s ceremony at the National War Memorial, for several days there has been a nightly display of images of poppies dropping down the Peace Tower – each representing a fallen member of the armed forces.

I found today’s puzzle to be at the easier end of the spectrum, though as enjoyable as usual from Robyn.

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.

Continue reading “DT 30768”

Sunday Toughie 146 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 146

by proXimal

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

As usual proXimal was a little tougher than my other Sunday Toughie regulars but I think I have got there eventually

We have 14a and 14d clues today with the trademark proXimalisms™ dealt with early doors I have hinted 13 of 28 clues leaving me a bonus hint for the first to ask

Here we go, Folks…

Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 146 (Hints)”

EV 1668 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1668 (Hints)

The Answer by Ifor

Hints and tips by The Numpties

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

Ifor needs no introduction for EV solvers. Dave Hennings’ crossword database tells us that he has been setting them since 2010 and this will be his 47th in the series.… Continue reading