Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Dada is John Halpern, who also sets as Paul in The Guardian
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Another gentle stroll with my only hold-up being at 5 across. Crypticsue tells me that solvers using the version in the paper would find 25 down impossible because the last three words of the clue are missing.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
The name of today’s setter wasn’t available on-line when I when to bed last night so it was a pleasant surprise this morning to find a Dada puzzle and very enjoyable it is.
Continue reading “Toughie 1015”
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I (and other bloggers) have mentioned in the past that Dada’s puzzles seem a bit anodyne compared to those of his alter ego Paul. This one is however, IMHO, a step in the right direction. I certainly enjoyed it – what did you think?
Continue reading “Toughie 991”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
I must really have been on the setter’s wavelength today because I rattled through this without a single hold-up
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another gentle start to the Toughie week.
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment *****
Bufo is away today. After the problems earlier this week, this puzzle was sheer joy from start to finish. My only complaint was that it was over too quickly.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Another gentle puzzle from Dada. The only hold-up came with 15 down which has an answer that I wasn’t familiar with. I managed to work it out from the wordplay.
Continue reading “Toughie 928”
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Dada never fails to entertain, but many of us wish that his Toughies were more like those of Paul, his Guardian alter-ego. Toughies aren’t meant to be easy.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Paul is my favourite Guardian setter and he’s never less than entertaining but in his Dada guise it seems at times as though he’s working in a straitjacket. I did enjoy this puzzle but I don’t really class it as a Toughie and it could have appeared on the back page.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I was late starting today having had to make time to go for a flu jab so I was glad that the puzzle was not too taxing and didn’t cause much head-scratching. Nevertheless it was very pleasant and there are some nice concise clues (and I haven’t had many of those recently).