August 10, 2012 – 12:32 pm
Toughie No 822 by Elgar
Mad, Vlad and Dangerous to Know!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley! It’s that time of the month again and Elgar (aka Vlad the Impaler) has been let out of his padded cell to torment us with another ferociously fiendish Toughie. I think he might have been particularly grumpy when he set this one, as I found this a good deal tougher than some of his recent ones (and they were pretty tough!). Some unusual words in today’s grid which caused me to have to reach for the search engine, together with a couple of very cryptic definitions made this hard going at times, and will no doubt induce apoplexy in the homes of fans of other setters.
Toughie 810 by Elgar
Feeling Vlad All Over!
Hints and tips by Crypticsue and Tilsit (aka Ginger and Fred)
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Matron has given permission for Tilsit to return to light duties but, as that is not a description befitting today’s crossword, the double act is back! Richard and Judy are busy, Richard is off round his local Tesco and Judy is checking out Oddbins. So Crypticsue has put one her finest chiffon and Tilsit his top hat and tails (think it’s the right way round).
Once again, Vlad has provided us with a top level toughie with lots of tricky clues, groans and d’oh moments which combine to make a very fine brain stretching. It does have a blog-relevant NINA* which helps no end to round up the ‘stragglers’. We both found this right at the top end of things, and although we don’t talk times as a policy here, quite some time has spent wrestling with this.
Toughie No 798 by Elgar
When Nina met the Prince of Darkness…..
A Review from Crypticsue and Tilsit
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from oop North and dahn Sarf. Crypticsue and I are delighted, in the best tradition of Richard and Judy, to host today’s epic from our arch-tormentor, Elgar.
It has to be said that this was one of his toughest challenges and both of your hosts found this a ferocious struggle. However perseverance paid off and this was a most rewarding solve with a nice amusing surprise. The puzzle contains a Nina (a hidden message) but there is a bonus clue to help you identify it. This is discussed at the end of the review so as not to spoil things for you.
Toughie No 782 by Elgar
A Portrait of the Artist
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley (I think!). Thanks to Big Dave for looking after things while I was in hospital and getting poked and prodded last week.
I have returned to another absolutely stunning Toughie from Elgar (or Vlad the Impaler, as Crypticsue is wont to call him!). This one however is rather unusual. I suspect most of you will have solved it without realising that there are FIFTEEN (at least!) themed references in either the answers or the clues. If you get all fifteen then I suspect you are Elgar or (Mrs Elgar!).
Toughie No 770 by Elgar
Moonlighting?? – No, Just Dancing on the Sand!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Matron has insisted that young Tilsit remain for another week in Convalescent Corner, which means that I have crept out of the Weekend Retreat for the second time this week, in order to blog my first whole Toughie. Having sorted out the wordplay (I hope!), I do wonder if perhaps Matron knew what Tilsit was in for with this particular crossword!!
At the bottom of the puzzle in the paper it says ‘All at sea? See the note under the back-page Cryptic Crossword solution’. Look there and, if you can read upside down, you learn that tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the 6a whose best-known work is celebrated here.
Toughie No 754 by Elgar
Double Trouble!
Hints and tips by Tilsit and Crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley! The lovely Crypticsue was at a loose end today and kindly offered to tackle the Downs for me. You simply cannot refuse an offer like that so we have a review that’s in keeping with the theme of the puzzle. The Toughie Tormentor Supreme Elgar is back with a fun puzzle that is packed with an awful lot of thematic material. One of the hallmarks of a great puzzle is that it draws you in and this one did it in style. I personally zipped through the NE and SW corners and then hit a brick in the NE corner. Not helped by only one way in with the design of the grid, I then found it quite tough and needed a prod from my colleague to get in.
Crypticsue writes:- “Greetingsfrom East Kent too! Don’t tell the boss (currently on holiday) that I was at a loose end – I enjoyed this puzzle so much first thing today that I welcomed the chance to have double the fun – I put dots by the clues I like and my newspaper is quite ‘spotty’ today. I was only really held up by parsing 1a but luckily Tilsit came to my rescue. Thanks to him and Elgar too.”
March 14, 2012 – 12:38 pm
Toughie No 736 by Elgar
Thrice Welcome
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
Elgar doesn’t often stray from Fridays into midweek territory so this excellent puzzle is exceedingly welcome. It’s not as fearsome as some of his but brilliantly entertaining and full of d’oh moments. It also (and I don’t know how he manages to construct a puzzle like it) has a pattern round the outside, which, once you’ve twigged what’s going on, does make it a bit easier.
February 24, 2012 – 1:34 pm
Toughie No 726 by Elgar
Trouble Double
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley! Today’s Friday Fiend is young Elgar who presents us with an enjoyable challenge that unfolded nicely as you solved it. I managed to crack the left side fairly quickly, but the right side proved reasonably elusive, but once one of the answers came to me, everything else fell into place. After last Friday’s mental mayhem, this seemed positively joyous.
The puzzle has four twelve letter answers, each comprising a phrase made up of two six-letter words that are fairly similar and differ only in an odd letter. The cluing is of Elgar’s impeccable standard and contain some nicely misleading pieces which don’t leave you scratching your head and wondering why you are persevering.
February 3, 2012 – 1:00 pm
Toughie No 714 by Elgar
The Big Picture
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from New York City, where your reporter has now learned four new words, thanks to today’s offering from Elgar.
January 6, 2012 – 1:43 pm
Toughie No 698 by Elgar
Value for Money!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from the Calder Valley. After a lovely break in the Lake District (embarrassing photos safely locked away), it’s back to the wordface with this beast of a puzzle from Elgar. Thanks to Jon for stepping in and blogging last Friday’s wonderful Micawber puzzle so brilliantly.
There is a theme running through Elgar’s puzzle today related to a famous film dynasty and a couple of their most famous oeuvres, a musical connection to the films and a further musical theme. Value for money indeed from our esteemed setter. The clues are up to the usual high standard with a couple of Downs that take quite a bit of understanding.
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