clues
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232,884 rows where source = "bigdave44" sorted by clue_number descending
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- bigdave44 · 232,684 ✖
rowid | clue | answer | definition | clue_number ▲ | puzzle_date | puzzle_name | source_url | source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
644475 | of good stuff here but my podium is 14a, 5d and 13d with 13d on the top step. | Q | Lotsd | 2022-10-24 | Daily Telegraph 30126 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/24/dt-30126/ | bigdave44 | |
655709 | of ticks as is usual for a Jay puzzle but we will go with 16d as our favourite. | Q | Lotsd | 2022-12-21 | Daily Telegraph 30176 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/21/dt-30176/ | bigdave44 | |
658242 | of ticks once again. Too many this week to pick out one for special mention. | Q | Lotsd | 2023-01-18 | Daily Telegraph 30200 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/18/dt-30200/ | bigdave44 | |
658564 | of penny-drop moments today but we’ll go for our last to get sorted 16d as favourite. | Q | Lotsd | 2023-04-12 | Daily Telegraph 30272 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/12/dt-30272/ | bigdave44 | |
661336 | of ticks on our page but we couldn’t select one out of them for favourite. | Q | Lotsd | 2023-03-15 | Daily Telegraph 30248 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/15/dt-30248/ | bigdave44 | |
657213 | got 16d, 18a and 25a on my podium, good fun to solve | Q | I’ved | 2023-01-27 | Daily Telegraph 30208 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/27/dt-30196-2-2/ | bigdave44 | |
659800 | never used this great old band in my blog before so no excuses for not using them now. | I | I’ved | 2023-06-15 | Daily Telegraph No 30327 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/15/173502/ | bigdave44 | |
644742 | not even going to attempt to pick a favourite – there are just too many deserving contenders. | Q | I’md | 2022-11-14 | Daily Telegraph 30144 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/14/dt-30144/ | bigdave44 | |
658301 | afraid no clue really stood out for me today. Did you have a favourite? | Q | I’md | 2023-04-10 | Daily Telegraph 30270 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/10/dt-30270/ | bigdave44 | |
641260 | award top honours today to 18d. What was your favourite clue? | Q | I’lld | 2022-09-12 | Daily Telegraph 30090 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/09/12/dt-30090/ | bigdave44 | |
662841 | pick 13d as my favourite today. I might have gone with 20d, but there is either an error in it or it is so clever that it has gone over my head. | Q | I’lld | 2023-03-13 | Daily Telegraph 30246 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/13/30246/ | bigdave44 | |
644035 | took us a little while to sort out the 16a anagram so will make that today’s tasty favourite. | Q | Itd | 2022-11-16 | Daily Telegraph 30146 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/16/dt-30146/ | bigdave44 | |
644065 | seems almost a slight to many other fine clues in this puzzle to single one out but I will name 27a as my favourite clue today. | Q | Itd | 2022-11-28 | Daily Telegraph 30156 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/28/dt-30156/ | bigdave44 | |
659301 | is good to see Hopping Rhino continuing to improve. There were a couple of clues that I thought were a little overambitious but the difficulty level has been toned down and there were fewer technical errors. The commentometer reads as 2/30 or 6.7%. | A | It | 2023-05-01 | Rookie Corner 473 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/01/rookie-corner-473/ | bigdave44 | |
661610 | took me a while to get going but the very helpful Down clues helped me finish in about my usual time for a Saturday Prize Puzzle | P | It | 2023-03-10 | Daily Telegraph 30239 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/10/dt-30239-full-review/ | bigdave44 | |
639103 | facilities for sourcing drivers? (6,7) | SEARCH ENGINES | Internetd | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
640862 | a strong field 20a takes the honours for me today with 24a&3d making up the podium. Which ones did you like?? | T | in | Ind | 2022-07-21 | Daily Telegraph 30045 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/21/dt-30045/ | bigdave44 |
657816 | lieu of picking a favourite today, I will spotlight 11a for its soupcon of historical accuracy. While there is no reason why clues should be accurate in a historical, geographic, or any other sense, I am always intrigued when they are. The novel in 11a was, in fact, published by Longmans but I suspect it was the second H. Rider Haggard novel to be published by that firm (the first likely being Allan Quatermain). | Q | Ind | 2023-02-13 | Daily Telegraph 30222 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/13/dt-30222/ | bigdave44 | |
644954 | the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them. | P | In | 2022-10-21 | Daily Telegraph 30124 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/21/dt-30124/ | bigdave44 | |
645230 | the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. | P | In | 2022-10-11 | Daily Telegraph 30115 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/11/dt-30115/ | bigdave44 | |
661550 | the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them. | P | In | 2022-12-23 | Daily Telegraph 30178 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/23/dt-30178/ | bigdave44 | |
662812 | the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons. | P | In | 2023-03-13 | Daily Telegraph 30246 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/13/30246/ | bigdave44 | |
641609 | you like cryptic definition clues and are fond of an anagram, this Christmas Eve offering would have suited you down to the ground. I’ll just say that it did make typing the explanations more than a little repetitive! | A | If | 2016-12-30 | Daily Telegraph 28306 | http://bigdave44.com/2016/12/30/dt-28306/ | bigdave44 | |
638362 | think 16d rates as favourite today with 4a and 12a on the podium. | Q | Id | 2021-05-17 | Daily Telegraph 29677 | http://bigdave44.com/2021/05/17/dt-29677/ | bigdave44 | |
639524 | always enjoy a good cryptic definition, so my pick of the litter today is 5d. | Q | Id | 2022-04-11 | Daily Telegraph 29958 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/04/11/dt-29958/ | bigdave44 | |
641797 | tried to review this puzzle objectively, but I found that it didn’t improve on second reading. There has been some criticism from within the Telegraph camp of my approach to Excalibur’s puzzles, and I may stop reviewing them altogether (at least then I won’t have to solve them). | I | Id | 2010-06-03 | Toughie 365 | http://bigdave44.com/2010/06/03/toughie-365/ | bigdave44 | |
642554 | liked 18a and 21a which both brought a smile to my lips and I thought 4d (despite the pretty obvious definition) was well crafted. For my favourite, I will go with 9d, another clue with a lovely surface, which was one of my last to solve. | Q | Id | 2022-09-26 | Daily Telegraph 30102 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/09/26/dt-30102/ | bigdave44 | |
655939 | particularly liked 10&12a plus 21d. Which ones did it for you? | QUICKIE PUN | Id | 2023-06-01 | Daily Telegraph No 30315 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/01/172906/ | bigdave44 | |
656484 | will award clue of the day to 16a for holding out to the end. | Q | Id | 2023-01-30 | Daily Telegraph 30210 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/30/dt-30210/ | bigdave44 | |
657698 | liked 21a for its smooth surface reading. What stood out for you? | Q | Id | 2023-02-20 | Daily Telegraph 30228 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/20/dt-30228/ | bigdave44 | |
657912 | liked 25a and 3d for their well-disguised definitions. Which one(s) hit the spot for you? | Q | Id | 2023-02-03 | Daily Telegraph 30214 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/03/dt-30214/ | bigdave44 | |
658977 | think 5a is favourite today with 17a and 12d on the podium but it’s a close run race! For reasons unknown it took me ages to twig the bottom row pun, d’oh! | Q | Id | 2023-01-23 | Daily Telegraph 30204 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/23/dt-30204/ | bigdave44 | |
662120 | liked 1&14a best. Which ones earned your admiration? | Q | Id | 2023-02-23 | Daily Telegraph 30231 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/23/166360/ | bigdave44 | |
641886 | thought today’s crossie was up to the usual standard we’ve come to expect on a Monday but was at the rather easy end of the spectrum. I got ten of the acrosses and all but two of the downs on first pass so * seems about right for the difficulty level. There are six full anagrams and two other clues that involve an anagram so there’s plenty of ways into the puzzle. I don’t think many of you will need any hints today. | A | I | 2022-03-21 | Daily Telegraph 29940 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/03/21/dt-29940/ | bigdave44 | |
644096 | thought I had picked up on a race-horse theme (googling every across entry – apart from the 4-letter pair – together with ‘horse’ gave a race-horse hit) but Elgar tells me there was no such intention. Spooky. | P | I | 2022-10-21 | Toughie 2944 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/21/toughie-2944/ | bigdave44 | |
655648 | don’t suppose anyone who wasn’t typing a review of this crossword would have noticed but this one has eleven clues requiring something to be inserted into something else (eight of the fourteen Across clues, and seven of those one after another). Could this be because I understand from someone who knows a thing or two about cryptic crossword setting, that insertion clues are the easiest to write? | P | I | 2023-03-01 | Sunday Telegraph 3200 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/01/st-3200-full-review/ | bigdave44 | |
663142 | wanted to enrich myself with more information on the phrase ‘behind bar’, the answer to the clue of 1a, particularly as far as the first definition was concerned and went on to explore the net. While getting to know about the role of the landlords and other bar staff in serving their customer, I also came across a time period that is tagged as a ‘lock-in’. It is the period when an owner or a landlord of a pub that is a public house allows patrons to continue drinking in that pub after the legal closing time, on the theory that once the doors are locked, it becomes a private party rather than a pub. Patrons may put money behind the bar before official closing time, and redeem their drinks during the ‘lock-in’ period, so as to make possible that no drinks are technically sold after the closing time. The origin of the British lock-in was a reaction to the changes that happened in 1915 in the licensing laws in England and Wales, which curtailed opening hours to stop factory workers from turning up drunk and harming the war effort. From then until the start of the twenty-first century, the licensing laws of the United Kingdom changed very little, retaining these comparatively early closing times and the tradition of the ‘lock-in’ system. | I | I | 2023-02-08 | Sunday Telegraph 3197 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/08/st-3197-full-review/ | bigdave44 | |
663268 | got off to a very quick start with this puzzle from Campbell and anticipated an early finish. However, I soon bogged down and had to work hard to complete it. | I | I | 2023-01-02 | Daily Telegraph 30186 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/02/dt-30186/ | bigdave44 | |
657091 | from Almoradí where summer arrived with a bang about ten days ago. Hot weather, which I like, but it’s not cooling down overnight, which I don’t like. Hey ho, the joys of living in Spain. | A | Hola | 2023-06-19 | Daily Telegraph 30330 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/19/dt-30330/ | bigdave44 | |
641014 | to pick a favourite again. Several here could have made the cut, but we chose 12a. | Q | Hard | 2022-08-10 | Daily Telegraph 30062 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/08/10/dt-30062/ | bigdave44 | |
662811 | from Ottawa, where the weather has settled down and is tracking the normal pattern for this time of year – a few degrees above zero during the day and a few degrees below zero at night. A welcome change from the wild fluctuations we have had for most of the winter (sometimes a swing of 40 degrees in the span of a day or two). | F | Greetings | 2023-03-13 | Daily Telegraph 30246 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/13/30246/ | bigdave44 | |
639585 | fun was had here by me. How about you? | Q | Greatd | 2022-04-21 | Daily Telegraph 29967 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/04/21/dt-29967/ | bigdave44 | |
643502 | stuff Hudson, my winners are 11,14&28a plus 7&9d. | I | Greatd | 2022-10-18 | Toughie 2941 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/18/161099/ | bigdave44 | |
645199 | stuff, my winners are 2&3d with top spot going to 18a. | I | Greatd | 2022-10-11 | Toughie No 2937 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/11/160827-2/ | bigdave44 | |
658893 | stuff setter, my winners are 1a plus 1&23d with 13d the outstanding favourite. Feel free to tell us yours. | Q | Greatd | 2023-03-09 | Daily Telegraph No 30243 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/09/166951/ | bigdave44 | |
640658 | stuff. My winners are 26a plus 8&25d. Which ones did you like? | QUICKIE PUN | Greata | 2022-07-07 | Daily Telegraph 30033 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/07/dt-30033/ | bigdave44 | |
641642 | surface readings in another fine Sunday puzzle – my Across favourite is 20a and my Down favourite is 2d | P | Great | 2018-05-31 | Sunday Telegraph 2592 | http://bigdave44.com/2018/05/31/st-2592-2/ | bigdave44 | |
638939 | morning everyone. Today we have a more equitable division of labour than we had last week. Archy has done the across clues and mehitabel the downs. | S | Good | 2014-03-20 | Daily Telegraph 27442 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/03/20/dt-27442/ | bigdave44 | |
645229 | morning, and a belated thank you to Gazza for filling in for me last Tuesday. As for this Tuesday’s puzzle, I thought there was a lot of tricky disguising of definitions among a handful of straighter clues and I found myself held up a little more than usual. But that might be down to me being out of practice at the moment, so I’ve equivocated on the difficulty rating. I’m interested to know how others got on, or was it just me? | M | Good | 2022-10-11 | Daily Telegraph 30115 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/11/dt-30115/ | bigdave44 | |
661999 | stuff. My favourite was the very clever 21d with a nod to the lol pun. Which ones did you like? | Q | Good | 2023-04-27 | Daily Telegraph No 30285 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/27/170870/ | bigdave44 | |
639105 | the right way, and studies after working (2,6) | ON COURSE | Goingd | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
639094 | except for returning by day (4) | DRAB | Gloomya | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
657848 | today were 5a, 2d and 23d with 23d on the top step for its silly definition. | Q | Favsd | 2023-03-28 | Daily Telegraph 30259 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/28/dt-30259/ | bigdave44 | |
639086 | in payment (13) | CONSIDERATION | payment | Factora | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
657638 | I particularly liked 9&12a plus 8d. Which ones were your winners?. | Q | Excellentd | 2023-04-06 | Daily Telegraph No 30267 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/06/168061/ | bigdave44 | |
658799 | knights - accompanied by old, heartless form of music (8) | ENNOBLES | Englishd | 2023-06-03 | NTSPP 695 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/03/ntspp-695/ | bigdave44 | |
639083 | but study intensively on the way back (4) | MARC | Drinka | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
639106 | in a suit for the country (7) | TUNISIA | country | Dressed | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
658782 | campaigners got left inside (11) | DEMORALISED | Dispirited | 2023-06-03 | NTSPP 695 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/03/ntspp-695/ | bigdave44 | |
641047 | the answer being blantently obvious, I thought 19a was a very well-constructed semi-all-in-one and so am awarding it my clue of the day vote. | Q | Despited | 2022-08-08 | Daily Telegraph 30060 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/08/08/dt-30060/ | bigdave44 | |
644594 | a day to ‘start with the Downs’ but once I got going, this Sunday Prize Puzzle didn’t take that long to solve | P | Do | Definitely | 2022-10-26 | Sunday Telegraph 3182 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/26/st-3182-full-review/ | bigdave44 |
640298 | solving the MP way | L | Crossword | 2022-06-02 | Daily Telegraph 30003 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/02/dt-30003/ | bigdave44 | |
639097 | expert with a remedy for all ills (7) | PANACEA | remedy for all ills | Criticised | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
639084 | man read out love letters? (3,4) | FAN MAIL | love letters | Coola | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
639885 | for favourite include the feline thief (12a), the sleeping character (16a), and the armed actor at the screen test (14d) with top honours going to the admirer of women’s undergarments (1d). | Q | Contendersd | 2022-05-09 | Daily Telegraph 29982 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/05/09/dt-29982/ | bigdave44 | |
655797 | for top spot today are 15a and 16d with the latter taking the laurels. | Q | Contendersd | 2022-12-12 | Daily Telegraph 30168 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/12/dt-30168/ | bigdave44 | |
642038 | here for an Across Lite puz version of the puzzle. | A | Click | 2022-07-10 | SP – 009 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/10/sp-009/ | bigdave44 | |
644831 | back with another of her ‘just right for post Saturday lunch solving’ crosswords (or in my case, just right for solving and blog drafting after returning on Saturday evening from a three-day, very busy, visit to family in the Banbury area). The theme was obvious once the first two Across clues had been solved, but fortunately I wasn’t left with too much of an ear worm! | A | Chalicea’s | 2022-10-15 | NTSPP 662 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/15/ntspp-662/ | bigdave44 | |
639091 | of differences shown by love in poor ageing parent (10,3) | GENERATION GAP | Causea | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
639087 | accommodating East European students (8) | TRAINEES | students | Caravansa | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
639089 | aware of critic’s review (6) | NOTICE | critic’s review | Becomea | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
639101 | counter turning up in a CIA broadcast (7) | ARABICA | Beand | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
657849 | this time of grief, I remember the very struggling and challenging marital life of my mother, who was the eleventh of the twelve children of her parents. Theirs was an arranged marriage. She was then fifteen years old. I was born when she was sixteen. I used to fear my father who would often beat my mother. Once he beat me so mercilessly that my skin was left with red marks for many days. Seeing this situation, my maternal grandmother brought me to her place where I remained with her all throughout her life. I was then only three years old. She afterwards sent me to a school and bore all my educational expenses up to the secondary level. I became the first child from both households to go to a school. Some years later, my parents got separated and my mother returned to her mother’s house with my three younger sisters. All six of us lived in one small room that included a kitchen. My sisters were sent to free government schools for their education because my maternal grandmother could not afford to spend more. Those were really the hard days. Sometimes, I would take my first sister, then seven or eight years old, to the market, a two minutes’ walk from home. The coconut seller who knew us would break some coconuts and allow the coconut water to settle into our kettle which he would, otherwise, have thrown to the ground. Back home, my sisters and I would enjoy drinking it. Sometime later, my mother started working part-time in a household of a very young couple, cooking food for that family. The money she earned provided some sort of relief to our household. Our financial problem ended after I got a job in a bank. She left the cooking work and had more time for all of us. She was also devoted to the well-being of relatives and locals and would help them in various possible ways by solving their household problems or taking them to hospitals during emergency. That is why so many people who knew her came and cried a lot during her funeral. She also enjoyed her life, seeing the marriage of three of her children and living with them. Along with me, she had visited many, many places all over India and those she visited abroad were London, Paris, Engelberg, Lüzern, Munich, Wattens, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Vatican, Pisa, Aswan, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada, Giza Necropolis and Cairo. Besides trains, aeroplanes and ships, she had also travelled in a helicopter, submarine and catamaran. We attended to her needs and took care of her during her last eleven months – me, my sisters, two of my nephews (the third studying medicine at a college in North Bengal) and my son. My maternal grandmother was a far-sighted person. Before she died, she had told me to always show my mother to a good doctor, although she was not at all ill at that time! In any case, how could I leave my mother? I was committed to look after her at any cost. After all, she was my mother. Years later, I always took her to good doctors and hospitals whenever she required medical treatment. She was also a very brave person. Thirteen years ago, she broke her right femur and a metal rod implant with a ball-like structure at the top was fixed in her bone during the surgical operation. When she returned from the hospital, she walked up the stairs to her second-floor flat without any help. The next year, a pacemaker had to be implanted in her body after she suffered from full heart blockage. Last year, it was history repeating itself. In February, she fell and broke her right femur again. Plate clamps were used this time during her surgical operation. In June, she underwent pacemaker replacement operation. In July, she had to be hospitalised again for dehydration and stomach problem. On the last day of the last year, she had to be hospitalised for the fourth time, after her sugar and sodium levels came drastically down. However, she was discharged after twelve days after receiving the due treatment. Back home, she was doing well. She had her food in time, but around thirty-three hours later, she suffered a cardiac arrest and left us forever. We four siblings, remaining united as in the past, are now left with memories of our dear mother. | P | At | 2023-01-20 | Daily Telegraph 30197 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/20/dt-30197-full-review/ | bigdave44 | |
639258 | always, there lot’s of choice for a favourite clue but I will opt for 13d. | Q | Asd | 2022-03-14 | Daily Telegraph 29934 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/03/14/dt-29934/ | bigdave44 | |
656853 | usual there’s a lot of good stuff but my podium is 4d, 16d and 22d with 16d on the top step. | Q | Asd | 2023-03-06 | Daily Telegraph 30240 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/06/dt-30240/ | bigdave44 | |
663580 | it was Lady Gaga’s birthday this week here she is with Bradley Cooper | D | Asa | 2023-03-30 | Daily Telegraph No 30261 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/30/167792/ | bigdave44 | |
656025 | I worked my way down the Across clues, I did wonder whether Dada might have put the following Tuesday’s Toughie in the wrong envelope, and I didn’t really change my mind about it when I reached the end [The Tuesday Toughie took a smidgen less time to solve, so make of that what you will] | P | As | 2023-03-29 | Sunday Telegraph 3204 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/29/st-3204-full-review/ | bigdave44 | |
657092 | usual my podium three are in blue. The definitions are underlined in the clues and the answers are under the “click here” buttons so don’t click on them unless you really want to see the answer. Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. | A | As | 2023-06-19 | Daily Telegraph 30330 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/19/dt-30330/ | bigdave44 | |
661429 | for today’s puzzle it’s a tad trickier than last weeks and I didn’t clean the acrosses on first pass. In fact I got just half of them! However I only missed two of the downs so it can’t have been too tricky! There’s a couple of slightly obscure terms, to me anyway, and a couple of bits of complicated wordplay but it’s all gettable from the wordplay and very enjoyable it was. | A | As | 2023-06-26 | Daily Telegraph 30336 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/26/dt-30336/ | bigdave44 | |
639095 | of useful quality covering ship and crew (10) | ASSESSMENT | Appraisala | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
639096 | for this reason newspaper is excessively sympathetic (4) | SOFT | excessively sympathetic | And | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 |
661676 | glad not to have invented | S | And | 2023-03-27 | Rookie Corner 468 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/ | bigdave44 | |
658388 | makes his annual appearance in the Rookie Corner. With the exception of 10d, which I think let the standard down compared with the other excellent clues, there was only on other minor comment and an incorrect definition. The commentometer reads as 1.5 / 28 or 5.4%. | A | Amoeba | 2023-04-17 | Rookie Corner 471 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/17/rookie-corner-471/ | bigdave44 | |
644953 | after yesterday’s loss I did find another five bob in loose change by looking down the side of chair cushions, so, as we have a Pangra where the missing letter is the 24th of the alphabet, I am confident in saying that this is a proXimal production. | C | Amazingly | 2022-10-21 | Daily Telegraph 30124 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/21/dt-30124/ | bigdave44 | |
662752 | there are numerous contenders for the title, my clue of the day is 16a where one has to take care in isolating the definition from the rest of the clue. | Q | Althoughd | 2023-03-20 | Daily Telegraph 30252 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/20/dt-30252/ | bigdave44 | |
642375 | some thought I’ve gone for 19a and 4d on the podium but on the top step is 6d for its elegant simplicity. | Q | Afterd | 2022-10-03 | Daily Telegraph 30108 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/03/dt-30108/ | bigdave44 | |
639082 | to time given to flexible workforce (10) | SUPPLEMENT | Add | 2014-10-01 | Daily Telegraph 27609 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/ | bigdave44 | |
638969 | bit short of photo opportunities today. I was reduced to using Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie! | A | Ad | 2014-03-20 | Daily Telegraph 27442 | http://bigdave44.com/2014/03/20/dt-27442/ | bigdave44 | |
656204 | couple of hours after we had put this together we happened to be watching an episode of Celebrity Chase and one of the contestants was the jockey in 28a who we had never previously heard of. Small world! | Q | Ad | 2023-03-29 | Daily Telegraph 30260 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/29/dt-30260/ | bigdave44 | |
657786 | lot of good stuff here but my top three are 3d, 19a and 12a in that order. | Q | Ad | 2022-12-19 | Daily Telegraph 30174 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/19/dt-30174/ | bigdave44 | |
661677 | silence already filled with noises, | A | Ad | 2023-03-27 | Rookie Corner 468 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/ | bigdave44 | |
661678 | chorus of smiles, a winter morning. | P | Ad | 2023-03-27 | Rookie Corner 468 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/ | bigdave44 | |
663444 | Seasonal Quick Crossword Pun: | MISS | Ad | 2022-12-16 | Daily Telegraph 30172 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/16/dt-30172/ | bigdave44 | |
641798 | 7 Worked out action, imprisoning French nobleman (7) | DEDUCED | Across | 2015-08-01 | NTSPP – 286 | http://bigdave44.com/2015/08/01/ntspp-286/ | bigdave44 | |
641578 | steady and an enjoyable solve in which I didn’t come across the only anagram until right at the death. It was the SE corner that caused me most grief but this was only because I’d bunged in a wrong answer to 28 across | P | A | 2019-06-13 | Toughie 2245 | http://bigdave44.com/2019/06/13/toughie-2245/ | bigdave44 | |
641733 | tougher crossword I think today than we have had for a number of weeks. But still very enjoyable. I do however have a small whinge about the definition for 8 down and 11 across. The answers are as usual are hidden between the curly brackets, just highlight the blank space. Comments as always appreciated. | A | A | 2009-07-31 | Daily Telegraph 25995 | http://bigdave44.com/2009/07/31/dt-25995/ | bigdave44 | |
641826 | second offering from Robyn who’s first Toughie puzzle 2669 appeared on June 29th and was very well received. Today’s puzzle took me longer than usual and needed teasing out slowly clue by clue. I’m not sure how two of the clues relate to the answers but hope to unravel their secrets as I write the hints. If not any help with 11 and 13 down will be well received. That is just how I think a proper Toughie should be | P | A | 2021-08-10 | Toughie 2693 | http://bigdave44.com/2021/08/10/toughie-2693/ | bigdave44 | |
641946 | good Tuesday level Toughie puzzle from Serpent. Very amusing in parts but a little too much cycling for me and a lack of sustenance to keep me going. Those minor points pale into insignificance when 10 down is deconstructed. So much misdirection in one clue which made it a winner for me | S | A | 2022-05-24 | Toughie 2857 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/05/24/toughie-2857/ | bigdave44 | |
661549 | very good Friday morning from Winnipeg where, not unexpectedly, we are in the deep freeze while British Columbia is ‘closed’ as a result of ice and snow for which it does not have enough equipment or the expertise to use what it does have and Ontario and all points East are experiencing a Weather Bomb, also known as an ‘Explosive Cyclogenesis,’ which, presumably, might continue its Eastern journey and be ‘across the pond’ just in time for New Year. | S | A | 2022-12-23 | Daily Telegraph 30178 | http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/23/dt-30178/ | bigdave44 | |
663507 | not-overly-difficult and very enjoyable puzzle by Sparks. I did notice something interesting about all the across clues (and 6 of the down ones, but that is largely as a consequence) | P | A | 2023-04-28 | Toughie 3052 | http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/28/toughie-3052/ | bigdave44 |
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CREATE TABLE "clues" ( rowid INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, clue TEXT, answer TEXT, definition TEXT, clue_number TEXT, puzzle_date TEXT, puzzle_name TEXT, source_url TEXT NOT NULL, source TEXT ); CREATE INDEX clues_source_index ON clues ("source");