1ar,000,000
#MetricBandsOrSong

JK Rowling and the Chelsea back four are probably sweating now

Author Deighton's visiting Omsk, busy Russian city (8)

Not any more he isn't

Well it wouldn't be cogent, as he couldn't convince anyone else to join his war.

Chop the Spaniel on the left, he ate The Telegraph (4,8)

proXimal being quite tough today

Sample clue
Propose moving radioactive waste once mutated wisteria removed (8)
I wonder where the extra I in 27a came from

Blog at Big Daves now
bigdave44.com/2026/03/01/s...

Hinted the first, but the anagram is left for the solver

Blog soon @ bigdave44.com

Somewhat of a surprise but Samuel has brought us a fine Sunday Toughie today with a poignant theme...
Sample clue;
Ultra harsh after trashing valedictory performance (4,6)
Blog at Bigdave44.com now

A Welsh river would hate if it contained gin (5)

The Wharfe at Boston Spa
(A moderate crossword river... but good gin.)

[Repost with your home river]

The Teifi, Newcastle Emlyn.
(A bad crossword river!)

Zandio on Prize Toughie duty today.
Sample clue;
Free trade, third reduced by 90 per cent (4)
No spoilers please, but discussion at bigdave44.com/2026/01/11/s...

It's all Cleckhuddersfax to me

A bit like Dave Swarbrick. his obituary was published in the Daily Telegraph in error. He kept copies to sell at his concerts.
"It's not the first time I've died in Coventry"

Orange is a strange choice of highlighter, surely it should be 7up green.

I may have overplayed The Welsh Connection...

Now I'll have to hint those!
Blog@ BigDave's soon.

Short answer - No
Long answer - No, the dangerous knives are the blunt ones. Have you got any plasters?

I have referred to Doris Day rather than Zayn Malik, not many teenagers at big dave's

#cryptic #crosswords #Robyn making a surprise but welcome return to the Sunday Toughie
Sample clue;
1d and 22d Buzz is started by internet game inventor (4,5)

Blog at bigdave44.com imminently

Nice one, I assume the first syllable is derived from the Dutch "pappekak" that gave us poppycock. I will take a copy of the puzzle for Bruce when I see him at Anfield on the 7th

"The first-ever Telegraph crossword of 30 July 1925 looks nothing like the cryptic crosswords of today."

Are there any plans to celebrate the centenary of the Telegraph Cryptic Crossword?

. New to Blue sky

I blog the Sunday Toughie at Big Dave's l am curious to know who "Light” is. Do any of you good folks know.
It sounds like a RayT/Beam type of alias but I don't recognise any of his signatures.