We recently had a letter from a reader querying one of our clues about her favourite book Rosy Is My Relative by Gerald Durrell.
Lynne Watts writes: “This book is my favourite and I have kept my tattered copy for 30 years, recently my daughter found me another in an old shop and they have [more…]
Good Morning
I have just received my Christine’s BIG crossword book for May 2009 and whilst doing the Diamond crossword I found the clue (violet antiseptic). Your answer was “iodine”. Well iodine is Yellow/Brown. The violet antiseptic is (or was when I was a child, a long time ago) Condy’s Crystal. It has a violet [more…]
Thank you so much for your daily updated online puzzles and especially the latest addition of Code Cracker. I find I love coming home to relax with the variety of puzzles after work and just before going to bed. When I go away on holiday, never do I go without the BIG CROSSWORD BOOK. [more…]
Thank you for many happy hours of puzzling. George, now aged 76 has heart problems (4 heart attacks) and rests a great deal. I put up my little folding table, get out my books and spend a most pleasant afternoon or evening puzzling.
I use a Miriam-Webster Crossword Reference, a Collins dictionary and a set [more…]
Lady Godiva is renowned for riding through the streets of Coventry naked! What is less known however, is why such a pious woman would do such a thing.
Lady Godgifu, her real name, was married to Leofric, the Earl of Mercia. She was a beautiful woman who cared greatly for the people of Coventry [more…]
Have you seen the clue ‘London theatre, Old …’ and wondered who Old Vic was?
This famous London theatre was originally named The Royal Coburg Theatre when it first opened in 1818 but was renamed the Royal Victoria Theatre in 1833. It soon became known as the Old Vic and the name has stuck.
From 1914-1923 [more…]
Hell-bent for leather?
Have you ever heard someone say that they are hell-bent on doing something? Did you understand they meant they were very determined, but didn’t really know what the phrase literally means?
This saying has been has been popular since the early 19th century and describes someone who is prepared to go “to the gates of hell” [more…]
A kangaroo court is not a legal proceeding in the Australian outback, nor does it involve hopping marsupials.
It refers to a criminal proceeding that is conducted for show, where the defendant is undoubtedly going to be found guilty.
The earliest use of the term was recorded not in Australia as you might expect, but [more…]
