Toughie No 817 by Dada
Hints and tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very nice puzzle even though it was not very difficult and caused no significant problems.
Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Dada is John Halpern, who also sets as Paul in The Guardian
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A very nice puzzle even though it was not very difficult and caused no significant problems.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Those of us who regularly follow Dada wearing his other hats know that he can be quite a bit tougher than this one, which is fairly gentle (for him). It’s still very enjoyable, though, with a fair supply of d’oh moments.
Let us know how you got on and please take the time to record your assessment of the puzzle by clicking on one of the stars below,
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I thought that this was a nice puzzle even though I didn’t find it very challenging. It looked as though I was on for a record time when I filled the bottom half in extremely quickly, with only 24 down needing pause for thought. I slowed down on the top half but encountered no major difficulty. There are a lot of good clues with more ‘double definitions’ than usual
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Dada on a Tuesday? Yes. But it’s not as ferocious as some of the Paul puzzles from the same setter, but just as enjoyable.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
To date Dada’s Toughies have appeared on Thursday, Wednesday and Tuesday in that order. Today completes the second cycle, and what a wonderful puzzle this is. I’m yet to be convinced about 14 across, but there is much to enjoy among the rest of the clues, with the blue highlighter being liberally used.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Over the past six Wednesdays I’ve had Toughies from Notabilis, Elkamere (twice), Osmosis, Micawber and Elgar to blog. Impossible to keep up that standard, I thought, but today sees the return, after a long absence, of the wonderful Dada (whom you may know better as Paul, Mudd or Punk from other publications). This is really great stuff but not too difficult – if I have one criticism it’s that the grid is very “cornery” so that it’s essentially four mini-puzzles.
Tell us what you thought and please take the time to record your enjoyment factor by clicking on one of the stars below.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
When I started I thought this was going provide a struggle. In fact I found it very straightforward but, just in case I was having a good morning and was on the setter’s wavelength, I have left the difficulty rating at 3* after toying with 2*
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
This was my first opportunity to review a puzzle from Dada, and what a great pleasure it has been. As Paul in the Guardian this setter has a fearsome reputation, but he is somewhat kinder to us over here at the Telegraph!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Today we have a welcome return by Dada with a very entertaining puzzle. It’s full of his usual inventive and witty clues but not as tricky as he can be. I have a feeling that he’s being slightly constrained, but I’m quite happy with that as long as he stays in the Wednesday slot.
As usual your comments are welcome and please take the time to register your approval rating by clicking on one of the stars below.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Dada is a new Toughie setter but he is an experienced setter and is well-known in other publications as Paul, Mudd and Punk. Here he has produced a real Toughie which gave the brain an excellent work out. I have given it 4 stars for both difficulty and enjoyment but I did consider giving it 5 stars for both. That’s how good it is.