Sunday Toughie No 196
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Whilst enjoying the Sloggers and Betters event in York, I was aware I still had a blog to prepare for this excellent offering from proXimal. Once the Spoonerism dropped, the rest flowed fairly easily despite the curry we rounded off the evening with, repeating on me.
We have 14a and 14d clues today, and I have hinted at half. I am sure a few tricky ones have hit the cutting room floor. I will try and give a bonus nudge or two if required, but I hope you get the checkers to complete this fine puzzle.
Here we go, Folks…
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Enigmatic Variations 1718 (Hints)
Wanted by Kruger
Hints and tips by Phibs
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Since I couldn’t see anything in the preamble that would give ChatGPT a fighting chance of identifying the theme, I asked instead, “Why might a crossword setter choose the pseudonym Kruger?” I was pleased to learn that this was “a fun and subtle question — and in crosswords, setters often choose pseudonyms that have wordplay, personal resonance, or a hint of mischief built in.”
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3340 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, with the end of BST, we now start a ‘hiatus’ week of puzzles being available an hour later until we ‘Fall Back’ next weekend.
For me, and I stress for me,© quite challenging, especially in the NE, although I probably made it more difficult than it should have been. 5 anagrams (0 partials), 1 lurker, and 1 homophone in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should/might be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Continue reading “ST 3340 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31067 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
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Sunday Toughie No 195
by Zandio (With a little help from CL)
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Here We Go…
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Enigmatic Variations 1717 (Hints)
In Absentia by Gaston
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Gaston often seems to have French themes, so you perhaps would have expected Wicksparrow’s recent offering to have been a Gaston oeuvre – though who knows?… Continue reading
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3339 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where it is cooling down and the red scarf has been very much in evidence. It is getting close to the time when the black coat will have to come out of the closet!
For me, and I stress for me,© much better than last Sunday but not much value for money with only 27 clues. Three longish ones, 7 anagrams (4 partials), 1 lurker reversed, and no homophones; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should/might be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Continue reading “ST 3339 (Hints)”
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31061 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
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Continue reading “DT 31061 (Hints)”
Sunday Toughie No 194
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Beam is a little trickier than his last outing here (To Me™) but I stress again (27a) that is just right for a Sunday Toughie. Plenty of Beam trademarks and an economical sub-six words per clue. 14a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted half.
If asked, I will try and give a nudge, if you don’t get sufficient checkers to complete this fine puzzle
Here we go, Folks…
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Enigmatic Variations 1716 (Hints)
Puzzle by Arcadia
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I gave Claude as much information as I could glean from the preamble: “In a themed crossword puzzle, we are told that we must highlight cells in a block in the completed grid which cryptically represent a puzzle referred to by an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. What might this puzzle be?” Good luck with that, matey…
Continue reading “EV 1716 (Hints)”
Hello, compiler here. Thanks very much for taking the time to solve, analyse and discuss.
I hope you might take a look at this weekend’s Sunday Toughie. I was in Yorkshire last month visiting Chris Lancaster, the Telegraph Puzzles Editor, and I had a newly-filled grid which I asked him to print out for me so I could write clues on the train journey home. Chris kindly did, and then immediately started suggesting ideas for clues. The upshot is, there are several clues in the Sunday Toughie that originated with Mr Lancaster. I’m pretty sure one of them will be the favourite clue of the day — an absolute corker (which I can say because it wasn’t my idea). Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks again for the feedback today. Have a great weekend.
14a, 1d, 2d and 19d were fighting it out for my podium, but I am not going to try and guess which clues Zandio is referring to; I enjoyed them all. I would like to have hinted many more, but the convention on prize puzzles limits me to about half hints. Even the Spoonerism missed the cut today (btw it is Russian)
We have 14a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted at half. Several lurkers that may trap the unwary and anagrams, including an &lit anagram, missed the cut, too.