Sunday Toughie No 159
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Beam has brought us his third Sunday Toughie. I found a couple of “traps” for the unwary and some tricky parsings here, but I think I have them all right now. Trademarks abound (less than 5.35 words per clue, single-word answers, the Queen and sweetheart, lurkers and initial letters too.)
I hope one of my usual commenters spots the name check in 16d and Senf gets a first name check too 10a!
A generous 16a and 16d clues today and I have hinted 7 of each – leaving me the scope for a bonus nudge or two if you ask
Here we go, Folks…
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Enigmatic Variations 1681 (Hints)
Not Mentioned by Kcit
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Kcit is also Phi and is based in NZ – thus the pseudonymic inversion I assume – and a prolific setter (e.g. Listener, Inquisitor and the dailies). He tends to be very fair, rigorous and on the harder end of the spectrum. The title is tantalizing and it only made sense once I had made some sense of the theme. Actually that’s pretty typical for me. Some people though seem to be able to telepathically infer the theme from the title alone which of course accelerates the solving process. I invariably find that it’s the last piece of the jigsaw that clicks into place. In this case, I speculated that it had something to do with “unmentionables”.
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3303 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where I am still reflecting on the significant moments of my visit to the old country – arrival at the gate at Terminal 4 to driving away from Heathrow in my Avis rental car in record time with minimal time in passport control and the baggage hall; seeing my Big Sister at home looking much better than she did last October in St George’s Hospital, Tooting; a sideswipe from Storm Eowwyn and a full on hit from Storm Herminia while in Somerset; a very enjoyable Birthday Bash, meeting and re-meeting a wide cross section of our community; and last but by no means least the rendezvous with ‘The Pink Lady’ at Liverpool Street Station – thankfully there was only one ‘Pink Lady’; I was concerned that if there were two or more I might pick the wrong one and get whacked around the head with a weighty handbag for my troubles.… Continue reading
A Puzzle by Chalicea
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30845 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
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Toughie No 3424 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *****+++ – Enjoyment *****
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30839
A Full Review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 1st February 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
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Toughie No 3423 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Beam’s in a very benevolent mood today – thanks to him.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30843
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Table View, a suburb of Cape Town, where we are staying with friends. Sunny and windy today – typical weather for the Cape. 32 degrees forecast for tomorrow.
Two rugby references for me to enjoy at 7a and 16a and a South African antelope in 6d. No safari for us this time, unfortunately, but we will be watching the Stormers v Bulls rugby match at the “new” stadium at Green Point in Cape Town on Saturday, followed by a braai, of course!
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you setter.
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