August 13, 2026 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3739

Toughie No 3739 by Kcit
Hints and tips by ALP

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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * Enjoyment ***/****

What a difference a day makes, eh? I raced through this. It’s all pretty fair and there’s no exotic vocab as such – I even vaguely remembered 26a. Moreover, the pangram was helpful. Now, I am not a horsey chap and this may well be fanciful overreach, but 1a and then 25d got me thinking. The latter (Sir Henry) trained 13a; and 12a, 20a, 8d & 9d were all racehorses. There may be others but my Google thumb was getting tired. Certainly, if there isn’t/wasn’t one called 11a (though presumably not 25a) I’m Kylie Minogue. But perhaps the heat has just further addled my brain. The floor is, as ever, yours to put me right …

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DT 31317

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31317

Hints and Tips by Senf

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****

A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where we are enjoying seasonal temperatures with highs in the mid-20s.

For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), Kcit on Toughie duty so not a Dream Team Thursday!  But, there is no doubt that this is the very entertaining work of the Master of Brevity.  The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, but not the plain sweetheart, in the back pager.  Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus.  I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!

Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!

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