Sunday Toughie Crosswords – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Sunday Toughie 113 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 113

by Zandio

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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Zandio has brought us a Toughie that, although it took me a while before I got a foothold (26a was my first one in), I concentrated on the south but sped up as I moved northwards. Zandio was very generous with his definitions today, a triple nay quadruple definition in 9/12a and two more double definitions. There are lots of lurkers forwards and backwards and cryptic reversals too.

We have 14a and 16d clues today and I will hint half I hope you find the checkers to get over the line, if any tricky ones have hit the cutting room floor don’t be 11a and I will try to help without incurring the Naughty Step

You have had quite a bit of my favoured music recently both last week and yesterday so I have tried to pick music of a slightly different flavour today

Here we go…

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Sunday Toughie 112 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 112


by proXimal

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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I started to solve this on the “old puzzles site” and Telegraph Towers have yet to update the setters list for the Sunday Toughie or the regular Toughie. Still, I didn’t have to wait for the new site to tell me as there are a couple of trademark tells that this is a proXimal production. A couple of extraction anagrams and starting with a Spoonerism gave the game/name away

The Spoonerism and 28a can fight it out for the minor places on the podium but because of dear Robert C I will pick 20d as the pinnacle today

We have 14a and 16d clues today and I will hint half – as usual with the Sunday Toughie some quite tricky clues have hit the cutting room floor so I offer a bonus hint to the first to ask

It is nice to see the Paddy’s Day banner up there to commemorate the Irish Six Nations victory but no Irish references crept into this crossword (probably set ages ago) and despite watching a fine Van Morrison concert and a review of the life and music of Phil Lynott on the Beeb last night you didn’t expect me to ignore the brilliant new Mark Knopfler charity single did you? –

Whilst out visiting National Trust properties with Mama Bee yesterday I found this in a second-hand book room
I didn’t need it last night but I imagine it will come in useful next time Robyn brings us a theme – Thanks Beningborough Hall

Here we go, Folks…

Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 112 (Hints)”

Sunday Toughie 111 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 111

by Robyn

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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I write this preamble before seeing the crossword and although Robyn has a bit of history with themes, most recently with hidden games in all the across clues in Sunday Toughie 109. I hope that crickety clues don’t feature too heavily as I would be obliged to hop on one leg until we get to 112 as the umpire David Shepherd used to do whenever the score got to 111 or one of its multiples

David Shepherd — The man who hopped his way to the top as an umpire

Apart from an appeal for a catch (25a) and one run scored (14d) I didn’t notice anything else crickety, but quite a lot of Latin and Kings and Queens appear today as well as a fair bit of facial hair in 8d and elsewhere

Vladimir Lenin - Wikipedia

I am taking Mama Bee out for a Mothering Sunday afternoon tea (The Talbot Hotel in Malton rather than Betty’s) so any pleas for extra help will be answered on our return

It was nice to see that of the four long ones only one was a partial anagram I have hinted half of 14a and 14d clues and hope that the mental image in 27a fades before long

Here we go…

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Sunday Toughie 110 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 110

by Zandio

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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I fairly rattled through this last night – getting the grid filled well under the hour but parsing a couple took me as long again. Presidents and King’s of various sorts almost beat me but I think I have captured the gist

It seemed like a lot of reversals and lurkers last night but I rather enjoyed it when 3d revealed the king

We have 14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half If in doubt and I haven’t hinted it look for a lurker or a reversal or both

Here we go…

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Sunday Toughie 109 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 109

by Robyn

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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Robyn has brought us one of his thematic puzzles today and I was amazed that he managed to get them into all the across clues without the down gridfill being full of exceedingly obscure words or even impossible. Only one of the elements was a pastime I have never encountered before (12a) but it rang a bell.

Shakespeare crops up in quite a few places and South American capitals but after the delightful theme 12a and 24d pleased me the most today which did you like?

We have 14a and 14d clues today and I cannot hint at all the thematic elements so
Here we go…

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