Category: proXimal (Sunday)

Sunday Toughie No 59 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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A tricky but doable Toughie today from proXimal.A slightly uneven 14a and 16d clues today, as ever I am struggling to keep hints down to half, there may be some bonus hints. I loved the topicality of 1a and 24a

I am still shivering without a boiler but plenty of coffee breaks will keep me going, and I have a subliminal yen for olives stuffed with peppers and beetroot soup for lunch, washed down with a French aperitif. I better get on with it before I suffer a 27a emotional change.

Here we go, Folks…

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Sunday Toughie No 56 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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I got off to a fast start last night but very soon I slowed considerably, I learned about North African and Asian food and Latin American lizards and several examples of the proXimal trick of extracting or adding words are evident.

We have 14a and 14d clues today but my hints are split 8a 6d today, I have broken the convention of hinting the first and last of the downs as I thought they were rather straightforward. I hope you find enough checkers to get the rest, but I will help with extra nudges if you ask

Here we go, Folks…

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Sunday Toughie No 53 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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A nice offering from proXimal to start the second year of Sunday Toughies. It will be a long time (about 58 years I think) before it gets to celebrate a 3000th as the normal Toughie did on Friday. A couple of proXimal trademark extraction anagrams and as normal for me some doubts about parsing remain (1d – but see the hint for what I made of it)
14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half. As usual the BRB and thesaurus are your friends.

Here we go, Folks…

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Sunday Toughie No 50 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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Welcome to Sunday Toughie 50. A bit of a brain mangling last night and the ensuing lie-in have put me a bit behind so I better get on with hinting half of an uneven 14a/16d clues. No booze today and even the “leaf soup” at 18a is not strong enough to refresh my brain this morning. A couple of Americanisms and a couple of “Canadianisms” too. Some trademark proXimal clues too, extraction anagrams and removal of covering letters

Here we go, Folks…

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Sunday Toughie No 47 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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Welcome from a frosty Yorkshire, but far from the Canadian level of cold Senf is enduring.

I could have saved myself from the final tricky solves last night if I had noticed the view answers button that was available on the old website, but when I got to the tricky ones and saw it I was determined to not succumb to the temptation. This morning the new website seems to be behaving itself and I have submitted my answers as normal. I think I will revert to scanning and emailing my entry until they sort out the websites

Not a lot of Christmas in today’s clues, those Christmas fruits I don’t like make a reappearance in 27a, but the holly that lurks in 5d is not the lurker (or direction) you seek.

I guess that next weeks online toughie will be a little bit more Christmassy (and tougher) I wonder who will be setting that?

Anyway this isn’t getting the baby bathed

Here we go, Folks…

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