Puzzler tea break crosswords issue 354 2025

As this is a dedicated Crossword magazine we thought we'd introduce some NEW Crossword varieties for you, which we hope you will find challenging and enjoyable: Anagram Crossword - Each

Puzzler 100% PURE CROSSWORDS!

TEA-EBREAK

( SU

Pundler

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We hope this NEW LOOK issue finds you well and ready to

solve some fantastic puzzles

As this is a dedicated Crossword magazine we thought we'd introduce some NEW Crossword varieties for you, which we hope you will find challenging and enjoyable:

Anagram Crossword - Each clue is an anagram of the

answer Be careful though, as there may be more than one anagram for each clue

Missing Links - The answer to each clue is a word that links with each of the three words listed For example, the clue

‘Apple « Chart ¢ Pork (3)’ would lead to the answer ‘Pie’

(Apple pie, Pie chart, Pork pie)

Backwords - Using the jumbled-up clues as an aid, black

out any unwanted letters in the grid to form a symmetrical crossword puzzle

Vowel Play - Clued only with the consonants and you don’t

know where the missing vowels occur For example, if the

clue to one across is MN (4), the answer could be AMEN,

MOAN, MEAN, MIEN, MOON, MENU etc

We have kept some Skeletons and the odd Pieceword for you, which we hope you will still enjoy, and also introduced some General Knowledge crosswords and a ‘Giant’ one!

We hope you enjoy the changes

Until next time, ‘Good luck’ and happy puzzling!

Co Westmeath N37 XP52

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Printed in the UK © Puzzler Media Ltd 2025 No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publishers

Nextissue on sale January 29

7 Ofrain, fall heavily (4) 3 Meaningless

8 Styleof throwing (7) scribble (6)

9 Findthe sum of (3) 4 Unfit, bungling (5)

10 Spinround (5) 5 Recorder of daily

11 Brie, Cheddar etc (6) events (7)

13 Flower’s sweet 6 Hiker, walker (7)

liquid (6) 11 Made from pottery (7)

16 Defy authority (5) 12 Trade boycott (7)

18 Huge Australian bird (8) 13

19 Half woman and half 14

Bomb shot from

Hospital ward

worker (5)

Be more thorough than

necessary (41,4,2) Musical play (5)

Lessen (stocks or

supplies) (7) Colour of

Common urban bird (6)

ACROSS DOWN

1 Colour of old photos (5) 1 Soap bubbles (4)

Nearby pub (5) 2 Ancient, prehistoric (8)

Hole-boring tool (5) 3 Leased vegetable

Additional, surplus (5) 4 Ofabattery, expired (4)

Make anengine run 6 Legendary romancer (8)

Arouse (feelings) (5) Additional tax (4)

Beauty treatment shop (5)

Crawler, sycophant (5)

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One who advances

money (6) Gramophone record (4)

Teller of untruths (6)

Lively playful

amusement (3) Same-hour

international

region (4,4)

Affirmative

answer (3) Summon (6)

Dairy product in

apot (6)

Needy or

adhesive (6) Patchy (6)

On level terms (5)

Secondary earth layer (7)

Piercing cry (7) Cosmetic product

for the lashes (7)

Interweaving (7) Escape (7)

Tobacco pipe (5)

Glass (7) Hospital photo (1-3) Cage for

chickens (4) Start a voyage (3,4)

Pilot’s

compartment (7) Refuse to admit (4) Common

rodents (4)

_ to, should (5)

Out and out (5)

1 Mood, mental 2 Boneof the torso (3)

state (5,2,4) 3 Frankly, between

9 Skilled production chaps (3,2,3)

of furniture (13) 4 Costof

suggestion (8) 5 Deep trench around

12 Accustomto solid acastle (4)

food (4) 6 Creating no

14 Indispensable (5) disturbance (9)

15 Concise, short (5) 7 Range (5)

19 100th of aeuro (4) 8 Factor (5)

20 Weigh anchor (3,2,3) 11 Determine the

22 Progress rate in position of (9)

gaining skill (8,5) 13 Diplomatic

colour (8)

State of owing money (4)

Regardless of (7) Record-making material (5)

Fairy (3)

Concede (5)

Parody (7) Skip, ignore (4) Crying like a

Normal,

customary (5)

Warming

beverage (3,5) Foaming (6)

Money demanded

by akidnapper (6) Steak shaped like aletter (1-4)

union (6)

Elegant, stylish (4) Ask for money (3)

_ dream, futile

hope (4) Sponge and cream dessert (6)

Extra

performance (6) Singe (6)

These mini puzzles are our Ultra Quick Crosswords Can you solve them all in 5 minutes?

11 ULTRA QUICK

1 Banned (9) 2 Signlitup when

6 Continuous twisted strand aTV studio makes

used in knitting (4) alive broadcast (2,3)

7 Eagerness (4) 3 Trashcan (8)

8 Object used on the set of 4 Sleptlightly (5)

aplay (4) 5 Long period of time (9)

10 Ofadull colour (4) 9 Picturein an album (5)

12 Milk-based pudding (4) 11 Fruitusedin

14 Drug (ahorse) (4) cider-making (5)

15 Came back to health (9) 13 Deep respect (3)

1 Small fast waterborne 1 Twelfth of a year (5)

6 Loop with arunning knot, 3 Scottish dance (4)

used as a snare (5) 4 Planet's path in space (5)

7 Tightcoilofhairatthe back 5 Paint container (3)

8 Smalltomedium-sizedbird 11 Fleshy, muscular (5)

of prey famous foritskeen 12 Common fraction (4) eye (4) 13 Tab onakey-ring (3)

10 Puncture with a knife (4) 15 Sick (3)

13 Early morning driving

poisoned (8) 2 Beach shoes (4-5)

6 Lose your footing (4) 3 Volume of children’s

7 Pond-side rush (4) tales (9)

8 Commoninsect (8) 4 Fringe, boundary (4)

9 Spoken rather than 10 Ridge of coral (4)

written (4) 12 Smart , know-all (4)

11 Runner or broad

vegetable (4)

TEA-BREAK CROSSWORDS 9

puncture (4,4) Four quarts (6)

Buffet, or any lavish

meal (6)

City near Bristol (4) Political refuge (6) Much-eaten sea

10 Pool of money (8) 4 Cotton string (6)

11 Become anxious (4) 6 Change the image

13 Item (7) of (aproduct) (9)

16 Simple board 7 Worried, or

game (4) pestered (8)

18 Wait around (6) 8 Scoot (4)

19 Lavishly 12 Allocate (money) for

25 Ooze (4) 20 Have admiration

27 Electrically charged for (7)

atom (3) 22 Setupon (6)

28 Chess deadlock (9) 24 Compass point

31 Level quality (8) 26 Marshy English

alfresco (4-3)

Become harder to

climb (7) Jester (5) Unfold, develop (6) Support,

reinforce (4,2) Highland Games pole (5)

Selected passage (7) Germ-free (7) Nasty person (5)

Second-hand vehicle (4,3)

Warning sound (5)

Moulded

bandage (7,4) Sudden and

hasty (11)

Giddiness (7) Possibly (7)

Win avictory

over (6) Short high-pitched noise (5)

entertainment (7,2)

Family animal (3) Youth (3)

Common stationery item (5-4)

Silly lark (5)

Ornamental pot (7) Fine silky fabric (7)

Falter (6) Male water-bird (5)

Perennial

herbaceous plant (7)

Excavate (93,2)

Spanish wine punch (7)

Toxic, pale blue

Each clue is an anagram of the answer

20 Chamber*Chimney 17 Break» Dip» Turn (4)

21 Pubilic s Rail * Holiday (5)

* Road (9) 20 Dot+ Scope

¢ Winkle (4)

TEA-BREAK CROSSWORDS 13

NO ND

JĩHÌHAaANN NHHEHMRINL ẽkx

5 Accurately 4 Baby’s portable

9 With passion (8) 6 Confess (8,2)

9 Flattened spoon (7) 2 Hunger for (5)

10 Moisten with hot 3 Take goods as

11 Great fear (5) 5 Ofhigh birth (5)

12 Mostdirect way (7) 6 Bank teller (7)

13 Year book (5) 7 Twisted (6)

15 Revere deeply (5) 8 Variety of cat (5)

1 Drenching 2 Small units of

(in marinade) (7) weight (6)

5 Advance very 3 Deficiency, deficit (9)

12 Rolling about 8 Poland's chief city (6)

(in mud or water) (9) 141 Napoleon's other

17 With fewinterior 13 Chance to

19 Cookie container (7,6) 14 Disavowal (6)

21 Slovenly untidy 15 Tenders

people (5) (of the elderly) (6)

22 Unfavourable 18 Flowed back (5)

(conditions) (7) 20 Young bear (3)

ACROSS

1 Retractor modify an

opinion (4-5) Commotion (2-2) Windsurfer’s craft (9)

1000 grams (4)

Small digital icon (5) Caustic (5)

Palace regulars? (9) Dismal-looking (9)

Historical

record-keeper (9)

Formerly (2,3,4) Substitute,

usually for

a doctor (5) Units of music (5)

Saint associated with Lindisfarne (5)

TV presenter,

Rani (5)

Last Greek letter (5)

Sound of mind (4) House with a party wall (4)

1 Pack, put away (4)

4 Over the moon (8)

Public school near

Windsor (4) hat, knitted

cap (6)

Then again (3) Scholarly,

well-read (8) Species of deer (3)

Religious crime (6)

Scatters (liquid) (6) Boredom (6)

Surface gloss (6) Grinding machine (4)

Meeting of lovers (5) Trash, garbage (7)

Smallest amount (5)

Extreme edge (3)

Destroy

completely (9) Fantasy (7)

Collect (5,2) Desert’s beast of

burden (5)

Implement for

shaving (5) Let tears fall (3)

49 Oxford college

and S London borough (6)

DOWN

1 Body basic

building block (4,4) Muslim (7)

Country bordering Thailand (4)

37 Breed of black and

white cattle raised for milk (8)

40 Surname of Alan, author

of The History Boys (7)

ACROSS DOWN

1 Feeloptimistic(4) 1 Centre of awheel (3)

3 Supports for 2 Essential

arider’s feet (8) component (of) (4,3,6) rey | | | | 9 Good buy at 4 Switch onaradio (4,2)

acheap price (7) 5 Countrified (5)

10 Take (exams) 6 Inappropriateness (13)

again (5) 7 Proposed spot (4)

11 Extremely big 8 1970s US president (6)

person (5) 11 Young female (4)

12 Ornamentally 13 Anthem (4)

embedded (6) 16 Cowardly colour (6)

14 Peopleon 17 Risky opening move (6)

horseback (6) 19 Sheep's neck (5)

15 Energetic and 21 Pitt, Fight Club

4 Crucial time (6) emotional (7)

9 Bawdy (7) 3 Bring upon yourself,

10 Air-raid warning suffer (5)

11 Atagreat distance (4) 6 Sparse

12 Welshcheese on vegetation (5)

toast (7) 7 Clean, hygienic (8)

14 Raise to ahigher 8 Gift of the Magi (5)

level (6) 13 Mouth-watering (8)

16 Largecup (6) 15 _ andjetsam,shore

19 Group who share debris (7)

lifts (3-4) 17 Critic (7)

21 Midday (4) 18 Body's life fluid (5)

23 Fertile patchin 20 Popular flowers (5)

24 Fisherman's item of stockings (5)

clothing (7) 22 Barely, just (4)

25 Street, TV puppet

26 Capacity for activity (6)

organisation (inits) (3) Zucchini (9)

Edible pods (5)

Bicycles for two (7)

Quiescence (7)

Felt very angry (5)

Give ajob back to (9) Wall across ariver (3)

Heading, caption (5) Coastal wearing

Film or video

device (6) Out of

snake (5)

Deerstalker part (3-4)

Deviate (4) Exhaustive (10)

Childishness (10)

Lair (3)

Tapered rod for

snooker (8) Gracefulness (8)

Elbow to wrist

area (7)

Misty (5) Quite blustery (5)

These mini puzzles are our Ultra Quick Crosswords Can you solve them all in 5 minutes?

Rower’s pole (3) 10 Period from birth to

OAOOND

Snail-paced (4) Consisting of two parts (4) Second month of the

3 Prepared (the way) (5)

6 Teacher training day (5)

1 Sendtothe wrong place (9) 1 Family saying (5)

6 Cloth for drying (5) 2 Female pig (3)

7 Naughty sprite (3) 3 Lazy (4)

10 Soldiers’ dining hall (4) country (5)

13 Police officer (3) 5 Bath fixture (3)

14 Controlled avehicle (5) 9 Banfrom school (5)

16 Fuel-carrying ship (3,6) 11 Unpleasant smile (5)

These puzzles only give you the bare bones

Fill in the black squares and the answers -

the grids are fully symmetrical

overturning

In this day and age

Yes-men Declare, assert Make afraid,

discourage Interfere

Moving along on

wheels Timber tree of the

olive family

First number Sweet-smelling garden shrub

Foundation slab

joining two walls

Soccer player who attacks and scores

Heavy fortification

sack Sheepfold

Tree commonly foundina graveyard

Join the forces

Drifter

Establish by law Sweltering

Cherish

Jester’ playing-card

To asmaller extent Simmer angrily

Individual bread

loaves

_ constrictor, South American snake

Ashen

Grain used for

American whiskey Relative or

interrogative pronoun

Small earthquake Originate

Attentive Front door shelter Not all

Washer and dryer

Cutting gnashers! (8) _ OBrien, Irish novelist (4)

US currency (6)

Bulb tasting of

liquorice (6) Quite alot (4) Devotee of a

cause (8)

Flaunt (4,3) Opposite of

‘wrong’ (5)

Spiteful (5) Oldish (7)

pigment (5)

Yearly celebration (8) Disavow (6)

1 Encroach (7) 2 Cartoon Jerry’s

5 Stratum of coal (4) doorway (5-4)

8 Severe or sharp (5) 3 Covered (acake) (4)

9 Prize draws (7) 4 Artist's attic (6)

11 Ranked player (4) 5 Sunscreen

12 Ongoing feud (8) rating (inits)(8)

15 Christmas-card 6 Accomplished,

16 Sudden total 7 Behind the times (5)

bombardment (5) 10 Swindle (6)

19 Motorcycle racing 13 Skin painter (9)

track (8) 14 Aide, bodyguard (6)

21 Kind, type (4) 17 Sacred wordor

23 Fairly quick dance (7) phrase (6)

25 Court process (5) 18 Stationary (5)

26 Aromatic plant (4) 20 Writings notin

9 Increasing again (9) 3 Calumny (4)

10 Cat’s sound of 4 Media tycoon (5)

13 Metal fastener (5) utensils (5)

percussion 7 Personal

18 _crossing,train/ 12 Marketlad (6-3)

road meeting (5) 13 Intestinal

20 Possessor (5) 14 Smithy’s block (5)

21 Double-dot text 15 Cable support

24 Garden grass (4) 22 Furthest away from

27 Key, decisive (9) the centre (5)

28 Easy jogging 23 Milky gems (5)

29 Shooting 26 Rank, layer (4)

from several directions (9)

precipitation (4) tube (7,4)

a eee

10 Canine friend of 6 Zeros (7)

destination (5) 10 Tight-fitting

mg ia 12 Mohandas , lower-body female

Indian leader (6) garment (6,5)

18 Aid (6) 17 Geological

19 Venetian blind layers (6)

strips (5) 20 Musical about

20 Lollies (4) 14 Highcraggy hill (3) ||

22 Directs adifferent 16 Prosperity (6)

use (2,4) 19 Looking over (6)

Major Indian

language (5) Nuclear energy metal (7)

Spill over, splash (4) Surname of 1970s

These mini puzzles are our Ultra Quick Crosswords Can you solve them all in 5 minutes?

52 ULTRA QUICK

1 Forbidden (activity) (5) 1 Smallcity (4)

5 Marine distress signal (5) 2 Become more cheerful (8)

7 Unpleasant smell (5) 3 Children (9)

9 Goaway! (3,2) factor (4)

10 Shoddy goods (3) 6 Style of modern art (8)

12 Really cross (5) 10 Beatanangle (4)

13 Easily creased cloth (5) 11 Deliberately disobey (4)

14 Just about manage (8,2)

' ¡| /ƒ M '_: fF | Pf | 53uLrRAQUICK

1 Married (9) 1 Unloading place for

3 English composition (5) ships (5)

6 Mugger (9) 2 Removal from office (9)

7 Toss (acoinin the air) (4) 3 Heroic poem (4)

8 Rod for roasting meat (4) 4 Charged, bolted (9)

11 TV, radio, press etc (4,5) 5 Uptonow (3)

12 Honeydew fruit (5) 9 Soundof elastic

8 Unattractive (4) 4 Append (territory) (5)

12 Pale green nut (9) 6 Version of abook (7)

TEA-BREAK CROSSWORDS 29

BACKWARDS out any unwanted letters in the grid to form

a crossword puzzle which is symmetrical

a building (4,7) Very short distance (4)

by water (6) Schooled (8)

Tincture usedin Creamy rich cake (6)

Scones-and-jam Edge forward

Creamy layer ina Purely

Immerses (6) Lack (8)

Chirrup (6)

Given insufficient

sustenance (8) Combinations of notes (6)

Except that (6) Abridgement (6)

century (4) Desert prickly

plants (5)

Lever (open) (5) Contoured

chart (6,3) Looks out (for) (9)

‘Laughing’

scavenger animal (5) Sir Henry,

comedian and

actor (5)

Country whose capital is Lima (4)

House built of ice (5)

Following acircular path (7)

Looking

confused (7)

Country, capital

Damascus (5) Assorted (6)

Takes over unjustly (6)

Finger parts which

can be varnished (5)

Pudding resembling

frogspawn (7) Cleverer, brighter (7)

In that location (5)

Category of postage stamp (6,5)

helicopter (5) Large-scale

commercial

activity (3,8) Without a beard or

moustache (5-6)

Italian rice dish (7) Begins again (2-5) Looked intently (6)

Financial backer (in sport) (7)

_ Paphitis, former

TV ‘dragon’ (4)

Inspection (6) Come by (6)

Horse/donkey hybrid (4)

Succeeding, following (7)

Main point of the

matter (4)

Glide over snow (3) Made a brief note (9)

Average (2-2) Gizmos,

31 Hard, leavened, ring-shaped roll (5)

32 theDragon, Bruce Lee film (5)

57 Brother ofyour mother (5)

58 Pleasant cooking smell (5)

59 Items for hanging up washing (4)

60 Decorated like a shell (9)

61 Middlesbrough's river (4)

64 Food constituents (9)

66 Container for an extra gallon? (6,3)

67 USspy group (inits)(3)

18 Chewy doll-shaped sweet (5,4)

20 Fancy party hat, for instance (4-5)

63 Gregarious and friendly (8)

65 Tight Dickens character (7)

69 Fluffy part of acarpet (4)

70 More inferior (5)

71 Indicates agreement (4)

73 Fruit with a Conference variety (4)