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 ****
Pretty straight(forward). 11a’s dramatist pushed my memory and 16a reminded me that I’ve never known how to spell his name. But both are generously clued and, as such, this was more of a skip than a jump. The floor is yours to tell me I’ve got the ratings absolutely spot-on yet again … or not!
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BD Rating – Difficulty 3* – Enjoyment 5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where yesterday I visited my GP for my annual ‘MOT Inspection’ and the verdict is that, as long as I keep taking the tablets, I am fit for purpose for another 12 months.
Apologies for the false start yesterday but there was nothing to see in terms of hints and the necessary ‘adjustment’ was quickly made. I have given myself a severe talking to and it will not happen again, at least not until the next time, as I do not want to lose my Christmas bonus! 
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), there is no doubt that this is the work of the Master of Brevity but he seems to have upped the ante compared to recent weeks. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, but not the plain sweetheart, in the back pager with an average of 5.06 words per clue. 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 ****
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. I found today’s puzzle to be reasonably friendly for a Wednesday. Amongst my favourites were 26a, 6d and 9d, but my clue of the day goes to the potty-mouthed Swedes in 4a. Many thanks to our setter.
Sunday Toughie No 232 by proXimal
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 5th July 2026
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This puzzle was published on 5th July 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 3376 (Full Review)”
Toughie No 3721 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
Welcome to the Toughie Week.
Dada has given us a cracker to get things started: lots of inventive and misleading clues with smooth surfaces. Perfect for a Tuesday I think – plenty that needs the old cogs to be given a spin or two, but nothing that didn’t yield to a little bit of lateral thinking, and a few “gimmes” to get the ball rolling. 4d, 10d, 23a, 26d and 28a all get big ticks from me today, but it almost would have been easier just to refer to the list below; there are so many good ‘uns. 26d gets top spot for the combination of conciseness, surface and misdirection. Thanks, Dada, for an absolute delight.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
A dull overcast start to the day & comparatively chilly outside with the welcome benefit that the temperature in my flat has now fallen to a tolerable 25C.
I thought today’s Anthony Plumb production was a fair bit easier than yesterday’s offering. As ever nicely clued throughout & with some neat surfaces. I enjoyed it much more than last week’s puzzle so I’ll be interested to see what others make of it.
Our regular Sunday prize puzzle setter is on duty over in t’other place & Tuesday Toughies are invariably very accessible so well worth dipping your toes into slightly deeper waters. Whybird is on hand to chuck in a rubber ring if you get into any difficulty.
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.
Hello. Welcome to Monday’s Telegraph Crossword, with hints and explanations below. Sorry, I’m running late today, so I’ll add some illustrations at lunchtime.
Before my next turn on the blogging rota we have this site’s Mid-Year Bash in Birmingham, and we’re all invited. (If you’re reading this, that includes you!) Hope to see some of you there.