Toughie No 3582 by Light
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Sue is still off games and we all wish her well, but don’t worry – she’ll be doing star jumps again before you know it. So, I’m afraid you’ve got me instead. You’ll just have to be terribly, terribly brave! Some vintage references from Light today – a 1966 footballer, a post-war singer and a grand old comic. Nostalgic fun. All yours.
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Toughie No 3579 by Prime
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **+ – Enjoyment *****
Somewhat of a tour de force from Prime today: smartly studded with pith and wit. It took me a moment to find my stride but, from then on, this was a fair and fizzy romp. I loved it. Over to you.
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Toughie No 3575 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **+ – Enjoyment ****
Dharma’s back to tickle and tease, with engineered surfaces and fair definitions, as always. Some real graft here. All yours.
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Toughie No 3571 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****
Django’s been fairly gentle today, gifting us a puzzle studded with clever touches and smart surfaces, as ever. His delightfully eclectic cultural references range from The Simpsons to Victor Borge, via the Coen brothers, and, accordingly, it proved hugely entertaining. All yours.
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Toughie No 3567 by Beam
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Beam’s back to tickle us with (most of) his usual tricks. There is, of course, a “sweetheart”, a smidgeon of light cheek and a riot of double definitions. Nowt obscure and all very jolly. Over to you.
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Toughie No 3563 by Kcit
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
A surprisingly gentle Thursday Toughie from Kcit, though 16d’s GK certainly had me Googling. Always grand to learn summat new. All yours.
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Toughie No 3559 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
It’s always a treat to see Django’s byline. And I was delighted to see a flash of his old wordiness crop up in 8d. My clue of the day and yet more proof that – as long as the surface merits it – length is not our enemy! All yours.
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Toughie No 3555 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Perhaps slightly trickier than usual from Dharma today, with some imaginative synonyms (10a’s “spot”, 11a’s “accept” and 25a’s “band”, etc) and a couple of extended definitions (11a’s “not much to write home about” and 8d’s “yet to be developed”). All typically smart, of course. Over to you. Continue reading “Toughie 3555”
Toughie No 3551 by Beam
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
A fun romp from Beam today, with his usual brevity, wit and imaginative synonyms – plus, of course, royalty and “sweetheart”.… Continue reading
Toughie No 3547 by Light
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
Gently chucklesome, yet whip-smart – a whisper of ©Light GK (2d, etc), some sly indicators (e.g.… Continue reading