Toughie No 2389 by proXimal
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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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”
Toughie No 2386 by Serpent
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **
I am not a fan of obscure words, like the potpourri in 15d, but at least it was clued unambiguously so the alternative spelling, which involved its unchecked final letter, was not an issue. I am even less keen on the use of foreign words in UK puzzles, particularly like the swede in 17d, which lacked any indication of it being American. Continue reading “Toughie 2386”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29287 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
Continue reading “DT 29287 (Hints)”
Toughie No 2382 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Silvanus has staked his claim to a regular slot on the Tuesday Toughie schedule. As you would expect, the cluing is immaculate. The thought of taking something to Paddington in 16a amused me, but although the surface reading of 15d starts well (vermilion-coloured crab wandering around island) it seems to taper off. Continue reading “Toughie 2382”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29281 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
Continue reading “DT 29281 (Hints)”
Toughie No 2378 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Donnybrook makes it simple today with a mix of easy clues with even easier ones, with 10a being the only clue that would have been out-of-place in a backpage puzzle.
Continue reading “Toughie 2378”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29275 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.
Continue reading “DT 29275 (Hints)”
Toughie No 2377 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *
Dutch is away this week but should be back next Friday.
There are various ways of setting a Toughie – Elgar-like fiendishness, the use of obscure words à la Giovanni and the sheer elegance of Notabilis, to name but three. Then there is a mix of Lego-type meaningless clues which is what we have today. For most of the clues the surface reading is pure gobbledegook, which leads to a difficult-to-solve puzzle that lacks any sense of satisfaction. Continue reading “Toughie 2377”
Toughie No 2374 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another super puzzle from Chalicea. The answers to one or two clues needed to be teased out, but most were straightforward. Continue reading “Toughie 2374”
Big Dave’s Crossword Blog celebrates its eleventh birthday today!
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I couldn’t have done it without the support of the fabulous team of bloggers who daily give up their time and the thousands of you who read the blog every day of the year, so thank you one and all.… Continue reading