Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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Toughie No 3789 by Shabbo
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */2 – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Wirral. Grey, still and a little chilly today. At least that means the leaves are falling and staying put instead of being blown into the foliage trap that is my garden. Even the local tawny owls seem to have given up, and I had plenty of 8d opportunities to hear them overnight courtesy of Lord Alfie demanding to be let out.
Shabbo has given us a typically enjoyable and well-clued puzzle today, although I didn’t find it tough at all. Before tackling the puzzle, ensure you have scissors, a craft knife or something similar to hand – there is a fair amount of pruning to be done. 13a, 15a, 24d all occupy my podium places today, with 24d in top spot. Many thanks to Shabbo for easing us into the Toughie Week.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
A chilly start here in Harpenden so there will be plenty of layers on for this afternoon’s game of ⛳️ which we should manage to complete in the dry before the arrival of a big bank of rain heading our way from the SW.
I thought today’s bit of Plumbing at the easy end of the Tuesday spectrum & certainly more straightforward than Heron’s puzzle yesterday. I’ll be interested to hear what others make of it because while it was pleasant enough I thought it lacked a bit of AP’s usual sparkle.
For any looking for a further challenge I’d strongly recommend Shabbo’s offering over in t’other place which is his usual classy puzzle & perfect for any looking to dip their toes into deeper waters – guaranteed not to get over waist height though. Whybird will be on hand to throw a rubber ring in if required.
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 we have been enjoying a warmer than normal autumn although the weather is taking us on a bit of a roller coaster ride with record-setting temperatures in the mid-twenties one day followed by single digit readings the next.
On Wednesday, we will mark Remembrance Day in Canada. In Ottawa, it is a custom to place one’s commemorative poppy on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier following the ceremony at the Cenotaph.
I found today’s puzzle a bit challenging to complete although I couldn’t understand why in retrospect while composing the hints. I think having had a restless sleep the night before combined with getting a late start on the puzzle combined to put me off my game.
To me, it doesn’t feel like a Her on Monday creation but I’ll check Bluesky in the morning to be sure.
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.
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Sunday Toughie No 250
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Twm/Light has given me a lot of musical opportunities and I have taken quite a few. I have spoilered quite a lot of them so only click if you want to see the answer.
The acrosses in the NW corner slowed me last night. I am cowed by the recoil from thinking that the seaboard status of Liverpool and a reversal of Oliver Hardy led me to think Portillo was a socialist!
I hope you find the checkers to cross the line too, but as usual I will try and give a nudge if asked.
Here we go, Folks…
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The nicknames given to professional darts players encompass the trivial (‘Chizzy’ for Dave Chisnall and ‘Webby’ for Mark Webster), the distinctly unsubtle (‘Voltage’ for former electrician Rob Cross and ‘The Flying Scotsman’ for Musselburgh’s Gary Anderson, albeit something of an upgrade on his previous moniker, ‘Dreamboy’), and the plain weird (‘Darth Maple’ for Canadian John Part).
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg. Thanks to Huntsman for subbing on Thursday while I was away on an unexpected enjoyable travel event. Slightly shorter than planned otherwise you would be ‘seeing’ Cryptic Sue again today.
For me, and I stress for me,© – lateral thinking required! Three anagrams (one partial), two lurkers (not hinted, so don’t forget the ‘if all else fails look for . . .’), and no homophones, all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 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!
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Toughie No 3788 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ***
Luxor has given us a proper Friday-level Toughie upping the difficulty since her last outing. I found it daunting on first reading through the clues but I gained a foothold at the bottom and worked my way upwards to complete the grid with several visits to the BRB en route.
Many thanks to Luxor for the enjoyable challenge.
Continue reading “Toughie 3788”
