Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I’m back refreshed after a week away so thanks to BD for covering for me last week. I didn’t find today’s puzzle too taxing. I did stall briefly in the NW and SE corners and probably shouldn’t have done. The thought that was needed to sort out some of the wordplay helped maintain interest
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I don’t think that there’s a vast difference in difficulty between Beam’s Toughies and the back-page puzzles of his alter ego Ray T. I thought that this one was fairly gentle but entertaining, with some really good clues (and one excellent one at 11a).
Continue reading “Toughie 959”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another gentle start to the Toughie week.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
As we all know by now, having reached no 957 in the series, while some days the Toughies can be on the fluffy side, when you see Elgar’s name at the top of the page there is no doubt that it will definitely be one of the ‘most devious cryptic puzzles ever’.
Chambers defines ‘hammer’ (amongst other things) as a verb meaning ‘to contrive or think out by intellectual labour’ which certainly fits the solving process today. It is a proper hob-nailed, impaler of an Elgar, one of those cryptics where the more complicated clues blind you to the really straightforward stuff (with at least five d’oh moments), but the solving process is helped once you realise that it is a pangram.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
I thought this MynoT Toughie was a bit dull, but maybe it’s just me.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
This isn’t a terribly difficult Toughie with the four long clues round the periphery giving me a good start, but I did find it enjoyable.
Continue reading “Toughie 955”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Once again Warbler gives us an excellent, if relatively easy, start to the Toughie week.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Notabilis is one of a handful of Toughie setters who consistently produce five-star puzzles.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
It’s about 2½ years since I last blogged a Busman toughie but I could still remember that Busman toughies are normally pleasant enough to do but not overly difficult. Nothing has changed. This is the grid that is effectively four mini-puzzles connected at the centre. There’s always a danger with this grid that one of the corners might prove intractable but that didn’t happen here. I did the top two corners with ease but then had to think a little bit harder about the bottom two.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ****
…well, it is Petitjean so several musical references and some mountains too! A super crossword; for me it had about the right level of toughness for a Wednesday (3.5*), lots to smile at, and the chance to sing while you type too!! No need for hats, either slightly mad or thermal today as the sun’s finally appeared in a lovely blue sky.