Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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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.
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Wednesday back-pager blog. I found today’s crossword to be a notch or two more difficult than yesterday’s, with the NW corner being the last to fall. There was much to enjoy and admire, with my favourites being 2d, 8d and 24a. There is also an excellent six-word pun in the Quick crossword. Many thanks to today’s setter.
Sunday Toughie No 211 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 8th February 2026 Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 211 (Review)”
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This puzzle was published on 8th February 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A lovely and splendid puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and subsequently writing a full review of the same for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Continue reading “ST 3355 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3637 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Whybird is away enjoying the delights of the subcontinent so I’m filling in for him today. Thanks to Chalicea for a pleasant puzzle though it’s more like a midweek back-pager than a Toughie.
Continue reading “Toughie 3637”
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Huntsman’s away on his jollies so I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. We have the usual Tuesday fare – typically fair and suitably gentle with credible surfaces. Over to you.
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where today is Family Day – a mid-winter public holiday in Canada (what those of you on the other side of the pond would call a bank holiday). It is also the final day of Winterlude, Ottawa’s annual winter festival. On my last appearance here, which coincided with the first weekend of Winterlude, I rather unsuccessfully attempted to include a video showing some of the early stages of the event. At that time, the ice sculptors were just beginning work on their creations. Today’s video shows them well on the way to completion. The video concludes with a cute little parable that a few world leaders would do well to take to heart!
I spent some interesting time researching today’s musical dive into history. It dates to a period shortly before my time (which means it will be almost prehistoric for those who reported Karen Carpenter was before their time) and it may not even be too modern for Daisygirl!
I thought the puzzle was well suited to the Monday slot – a gentle but fun start to the week. For me, it was borderline one or two star difficulty.
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.
Sunday Toughie No 212
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A generous 16a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted half, I hope you find the checkers to finish. I will try to give an extra nudge if you ask.
Mama Bee needs shopping, so I may be replying from the aisles. I will get back as soon as I am able.
Here we go, Folks…
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This week, I asked Gemini, “I am about to tackle a themed crossword puzzle from a setter called Ifor. Do I have good reason for trepidation?”