Chalicea – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3461

Toughie No 3461 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP

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

Very, very gentle from Chalicea today. No exotic fabric, no (thank goodness) periodic table – just a fun spatter of botany and Greek.… Continue reading

Toughie 3445

Toughie No 3445 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP

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

Lumme, Chalicea has been quintessentially Chalicea today, working her magic dictionary – and my app-scrolling thumb – hard.… Continue reading

EV 1683 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1683 (Hints)
Parking Offence by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Gabriel

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Chalicea is another prolific setter encountered in all the usual places. For instance, in the Magpie series where she invariably sets at the A-grade level. This typically indicates fewer degrees of freedom and an accessible endgame that doesn’t suffer from GWIT (“guess what I’m thinking”). This puzzle is no exception.

In true Phibs style, I told Gemini: “in a thematic crossword puzzle, we are asked to identify a parking offence and the person performing it” to which they responded laconically with:
“Offence: OVERTIME
Person: METERFEEDER (someone adding money to extend time)”.
Was that helpful? You decide.

Continue reading “EV 1683 (Hints)”

Toughie 3421

Toughie No 3421 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP

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

Chalicea’s back with her magic (South African, Scandi and Scots today) dictionary, a couple of semicolons and even a bonus Quickie clue (19d).… Continue reading