Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Busman is Tom Johnson. He is also known as Doc of the Spectator, Didymus and Gozo and is co-editor of 1 Across Magazine
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
While this is not a Toughie that is likely to have been published on a Friday, it is a little more difficult than Busman’s usual offerings. I didn’t like the double-unches and had to look up 24 across, after guessing the first four letters, and 4 down.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Busman is expected to be among those present at the Sloggers and Betters meeting in Derby this coming Saturday. This puzzle is hardly a Toughie, but quite enjoyable nonetheless.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Today’s Busman puzzle was initially ScrewedUp online, which was the final straw for me.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Once again Busman delivers a Toughie puzzle at the easy end of the spectrum. I didn’t like this any more or less than today’s regular cryptic.
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
I sailed through this one, so much so that I’m only giving it one star for difficulty.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Trickier than I expected for a Busman toughie but no real problems understanding the clues except for 23 down which I really had to think about.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
The Toughie provides a range of styles and difficulty levels that cater for many tastes and solving abilities. With a Busman puzzle, you know you will get some very fair clues and usually a gentle introduction to the world of the Telegraph Toughie. Today is no exception. But for 10a and 28a, there is nothing here that would not be out of place in one of the more difficult back page cryptic crosswords.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Zut alors! Bearing in mind the date Busman has donned a beret and lit up a Gauloises to give a Gallic motif to today’s puzzle. I suspect that solvers will either love it or hate it. I found it enjoyable as a one-off (though the theme does impose restrictions), so full marks and merci beaucoup to Monsieur Busman for trying something different.
A large number of the clues refer to 18, which is 18d. If I tried to write all the hints for these clues without disclosing what 18d is it would be laborious to write and tedious to read, and since I can’t believe that anyone has got this far without knowing the theme, I’m going to use “French” in the hints rather than constantly referring to “the language of the person defined in 18d”.
Were you enchanted or irritated by it? Let us know in a comment!
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Usually I find Busman’s puzzles to be on the easy side and not particularly enjoyable. Although this one is not difficult, apart from the Greek abbot and the Spanish composer, there were some excellent clues. The biggest smiles came from 1 across and 11 across, with 15 down not far behind.
I rounded the difficulty up to 3 stars, mainly because of the aforementioned foreigners.
Leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I had a few pints with Big Dave at the White Horse on Saturday and foolishly offered to do a bit of blogging for him. So here’s the result.
I must admit to not being too familiar with the Toughie crossword so I didn’t know what to expect. I was disappointed with it because I found it somewhat on the easy side. But it was a pleasant enough solve with only one or two things that I had to check.
[My subheading refers to the fact that Busman’s last Toughie was published on 25th March. BD]
Continue reading “Toughie 353”