Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
ProXimal is Steve Bartlett, who sets crosswords for The Independent as eXternal (which he first used in our NTSPP series), and for the Financial Times as arteXlen.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Splendid! Not overly difficult, and clever clues that are clever for all the right reasons. A lot of lovely surfaces, some of which seem topical. As often happens, I appreciated the puzzle all the more when writing the blog and added an enjoyment star
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ***/****
As often happens, I gained further appreciation of the puzzle on writing up the blog, when I could savour all the clues again. Plenty of good surfaces to like here today, such as in the excellent 18a, but also in clues like 20a, 26a and 21d – as well the nice Excalibur mislead in 22a.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ****
Dutch is on holiday this week, giving me a chance to review a puzzle by one of my favourite setters.
Not many setters seem to have grasped what solvers expect from a Toughie, but proXimal certainly has. I was sailing through this, one clue at a time, before I came to a grinding halt in the southwest corner, which is why I added an extra helf a star to the difficulty. With a compound anagram it can be difficult to spot what is going on, and I needed to solve 27a before having any chance of knowing which four-letter name was required in 24d. Continue reading “Toughie 2389”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
A very worthy Friday toughie. I’m in a bit of a rush today. Thank you Gazza for the parsing of 1a!
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment *****
We have come to expect nothing but top quality puzzles from proXimal. Excellent surface readings combined with innovative clueing makes for a most enjoyable solve
Definitions are underlined as usual.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Another most enjoyable puzzle from proXimal with some delightful clues. I hope you liked it as much as I did.
Definitions are underlined as usual. The hints are intended to help you unravel the wordplay.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Another very nice puzzle from proXimal, not stupidly hard, great surfaces, just my kind of thing – a great way to start the day.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ***/****
Fair, not overly difficult and enjoyable puzzle from proXimal today. I started with 8a and worked systematically anti-clockwise, giving me the illusion of being in control.
Many thanks Tilsit for looking after last Friday’s toughie
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment *****
Beautiful clueing by proXimal. After some initial staring at the grid, I found a foothold after which I progressed at a reasonable pace. No obscurities, thank you setter, though I hadn’t heard of the valley (21d)
Identifying the definition in the clue is half the battle.… Continue reading
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I was happy to find that proXimal has again given us an accessible puzzle today with some lovely surfaces. I managed three quarters of this fairly rapidly, then the last quarter took as much time again.… Continue reading