Toughie No 3717 by Shabbo
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Welcome to the Toughie Week. I have been expecting a Shabbo for a couple of weeks and I reckon he has spent the time since his last Toughie fermenting extra deviousness. I found this fairly tricky, and technically is a “DNF” as I had to call in the cavalry to help with the complete parsing of 1a. There are some absolutely cracking clues, with 9a, 12a, 20d and 27a in particular standing out for me. However, my top spot goes to the hilarious 8d.
Thanks, Shabbo, for an absolute blast.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 3717”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31285
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ***
Looks like we’re in for another hot one today so I think golf can wait for much later this afternoon when hopefully it will be a bit cooler.
I’d describe today’s Anthony Plumb offering as a workmanlike puzzle – perfectly pleasant but lacking a bit of his usual sparkle & on a par with yesterday in terms of difficulty. Maybe that’s just me so I’ll be interested to see what others make of it.
Our old Thursday reviewer is on duty in t’other place & his puzzles are always worth having a stab at. Today’s puzzle is very accessible. Whybird, as ever, will be delighted to hear your thoughts.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore. I’ve been working my way through Joe Bonamassa’s recorded live output (there’s a lot of it) hence 4 of his tunes.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
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