Sunday Toughie No 30 by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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I am definitely finding proXimal the trickiest of the Sunday Toughie triumvirate, and today was a devil to parse in places, but if you closely follow the wordplay it can be done. We get a generous 30 clues today split 14a and 16d.
I have hinted a bit more than half, but as ever will be tolerant of some help from the commentariat.
I had to sleep on a couple of these as the parsings arrived long after the grid was filled and last night’s tincture of choice was wearing off.
This morning’s coffee is an Ethiopian Rocko Mountain, with tasting notes of peach, strawberry and dark chocolate. At least two cups of which were required to stimulate the brain cells this morning.
Here goes with the hints…
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 30 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30070
Hints and tips by Sloop John Bee
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good Morning from North Yorkshire. Deep Threat is otherwise engaged today.… Continue reading
Sunday Toughie No 28 by Zandio
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 7th of August 2022
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 28”
Sunday Toughie No 29 by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Zandio was the first to do successive Sunday Toughies (#8 and #9) and here he is again with #28 and #29. what’s the betting that I get Zandio on Friday when I stand in for Deep Threat again?
Not the trickiest Sunday Toughie ever tackled but still a good workout for the brain. I see that it is the free-to-access puzzle today, so a few more people should be able to have a go. I do wish the powers that be at the DT get the Sunday Toughie available on the app as that would also boost the audience for these fine puzzles.
Anyway here we go with an evenly split 14a and 14d clues half hinted.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 29 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 27 by Robyn
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 31st of July 2022
I thought I had detected a Space/ Sci-Fi theme, A space probe, a flying saucer, Buck Rogers, along with our usual crossword alien ET were some of the theme. I also thought of The Mote in God’s Eye a science fiction novel by American writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, that and the twitter meme that the 31st of July was the most likely birthdate of George Jetson fooled me into declaring the theme but Robyn has said otherwise and his word is enough for me. I must have wasted too much time reading Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov et al when I should have been better engaged reading the set texts. C’est la Vie.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 27”
Sunday Toughie No 28 by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A definite Toughie today with a lot of the parsings following the solutions by a country mile. My usual dilemma is restricting the hints to about half, as there are tricky bits to most of them. There are not many pure anagrams but I have left the lurkers unhinted, save that they are both reversed.
Anyway, here we go with an evenly split 14/28 hints.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 28 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 26 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 24th of July 2022
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 26”
Sunday Toughie No 27 by Robyn
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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The crossword wasn’t too difficult by Sunday Toughie standards, As I was awaiting the midnight publication of today’s toughie I fell asleep with a wee 8d at hand. I awoke with a start and made a meal of dealing with network and printer problems into the small hours. Thankfully when I was able to access the puzzle it wasn’t too difficult, either that or my crossword skills have come on leaps and bounds over the last 27 weeks.
I may have detected a slight theme as I have quite a few answers with a Sci-Fi / Space theme but I may have been led astray by the Twitter meme that today is the actual birthdate of George Jetson.
Anyway here we go with an evenly split 14a/14d clues, exactly half of which I have hinted.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 27 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 25 by Zandio
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 17th of July 2022
Although it wasn’t the toughest to solve, an enjoyable Sunday Toughie still gave the grey matter a good workout. A first for me in the blogging chair was the revision of 12a after an initial clue that wasn’t quite a lurker. The replacement employed a rather neat device to justify a shared letter.
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 25”
Sunday Toughie No 26 by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A slightly more benevolent proXimal today, the top half almost rattled off the keyboard but the bottom half slowed things up a bit. I have hinted at exactly half of an evenly balanced 14a/14d clues. I hope we don’t have any late changes today as I haven’t quite recovered from the shenanigans over last week’s lurker that wasn’t.
Nocturnal refreshment was from the Black Sheep Brewery and the Bruichladdich distillery, this morning I am still drinking the slightly too dark Brazilian coffee I referred to last week.
Here goes with the hints…
Continue reading “Sunday Toughie 26 (Hints)”