Kitty – Page 2 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Author: Kitty

Kitty is on a short break from providing hints for the Tuesday Toughies. Sadly, work commitments have made blogging on weekdays very difficult. Meanwhile, Kitty can still be seen at weekends: over on Fifteensquared blogging some Independent and Enigmatic Variations puzzles, and on Times for The Times with a few of the Times Cryptic Jumbos.

Toughie 2183

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2183 by Jed

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

A big warm hello to you all on a day which, here in a sunny Surrey, feels far too spring-like for February.  How lovely to see Jed in this spot.  I didn’t find this any harder than this setter’s Sunday offerings used to be, and every bit as enjoyable, so would invite those of you who miss Virgilius in the ST to pop a roast in the oven, don your Sunday best, and enjoy a day of rest with an extra crossword.

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Toughie 2179

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2179 by Chalicea

Hints and tips by Kitty

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BD Rating  –  Difficulty ** –  Enjoyment ***

 

Hi all, and welcome to Toughie corner on a Tuesday which is sunny and bright at time and place of writing.  Whatever the weather where you are, we have a bright and breezy puzzle from Chalicea to warm us up.

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Toughie 2175

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2175 by Musaeus

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Hello and welcome one and all.  Musaeus is fairly new to the Toughie series and so far I’ve had rather mixed experiences with his puzzles.  For me this was a return to the Musaeus we saw in his first appearance here: not too hard but very enjoyable.

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Toughie 2171

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2171 by Silvanus

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Happy Chinese New Year!  Seven days since last Tuesday, it’s reassuring to find that today is a Tuesday, and all is as usual.  It’s less usual to see Silvanus in this slot – a first in fact, as his previous two Toughies were published later in the week – but I expect that could change.  I found it not overly tricky, but by no means an escaped back-pager.  Meanwhile, if I’d had any doubts about what enjoyment rating to give, the plaudits over on the back page blog have decided it!  Indeed, I noted an unusually high number of clues as favourites.

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Toughie 2167

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2167 by MynoT

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Hello all.  I thought today’s Toughie a little trickier than the usual Tuesday, but that could well be down to being tired after a week of fun in London and having to get up at silly o’clock this morning.

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Toughie 2163

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2163 by Dada

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Hello and welcome everyone.  As the blog approaches the end of its tenth year, Dada brings us the first Toughie of the week.  I found this a bit trickier than his last few, taking me closer to what I think of as an average Toughie time.  Good entertainment as always.

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Toughie 2159

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2159 by Chalicea

Hints and tips by Kitty

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BD Rating  –  Difficulty * –  Enjoyment ****

 

Welcome everyone.  I like some Tuesday Toughies to be accessible to back page solvers, but can’t pretend that I found this of more than ** back-page difficulty.  Perhaps it was just the effect of concentrating properly on blog day, and I’ll get complaints about rating too low.  We’ll see!

That aside, there were still some nice “aha!” moments and plenty to make me smile, so I’m a happy solver.  I hope you are too. 

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Toughie 2155

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2155 by Busman

Hints and tips by Kitty

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BD Rating  –  Difficulty ** –  Enjoyment ***

 

Welcome aboard everybody.  Today’s ride with the Busman was a fairly smooth one, my only real delays being in dim-wittedly failing to spot an obvious enough anagram and in having trouble piecing an unknown answer together from wordplay.  I enjoyed it but can’t pick a favourite.  Did/can you?

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Toughie 2151

by Kitty  

Toughie No 2151 by Musaeus

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Many happy returns of the New Year!

Yes, we’ve made it to the new year, which looks rather like the old one so far, but who knows how it will pan out?  I hope 2019 brings all you lovely people exactly what you desire, and comfort where that doesn’t prove possible.

Perhaps our editor has made a resolution that in 2019 Toughies should live up to their name, because for me this one certainly did.  It could be that I’m just jaded after a hot date* last night.  How was it for you?

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Toughie 100010

by Kitty  

Toughie No 100010 by Firefly

Hints and tips by Kitty

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

 

Seasonal felicitations to all you lovely setters, bloggers, solvers and lurkers.  I hope you are having the kind of time that you wish.  If not, it’ll be over soon.

Firefly has served up a feast of a puzzle with all the … well, that will become clear.

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