Toughie No 3597 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Well, what a treat Dada has handed us today to brighten a damp, grey, uninspiring UK morning! It is pretty mwah on the Wirral anyway, although thankfully we’ve been spared any excessive winds – so far. Apart from my initial horror at seeing all those unchecked initial letters when first looking at the grid, this was a pleasure from start to finish. The wordplay is wonderful, the clues concise and full of subtle mis-directions, although nothing too drastic; and a difficulty level just enough to get the brain cells working, but not over-heating. I’ve added an extra star for difficulty given the length of time it took me to sort out 6d, before leafing through the options in Dr Roget’s magnum opus made me see the light.
I have smiley faces all over my paper this morning – this was definitely a crossword that pressed all the right buttons for me. I love the wordplay in 6a, 18a, 5d, 17d and 22d; the surfaces in 2d and 23d; and the clever connection between 10a and 11a. However, I’ve decided to give today’s gold star to 18d.
Thank you, Dada, for an absolute delight!
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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Toughie No 3585 by Dada
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Dada is being fairly gentle with us this morning, in an enjoyable and reasonably accessible Tuesday Toughie. My ticks were for the confused directors at 7a, the winter coat at 26a, the discarded drink at 3d and the primate at 5d.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Many thanks to Dada and to the DT Crossword Team.
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Toughie No 3569 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Autumn’s colours continue to develop, the winter thrushes are still arriving in good numbers and the Wirral’s leaves are by-and-large staying on the trees: no doubt waiting for the Garden Waste collection to go into hibernation before crashing down and piling up.
Dada’s turn to break us into the Toughie week, and I thought this was perfectly pitched, with some gimmes to get things moving, and a lot of clever and nuanced deceptions. It was very much the proverbial “Crossword of two halves, Brian” with the NW going in very quickly (14d excepted) and then the SE taking a while to get sorted. My stand-outs (amongst a very good crop) were 1a and 28a. Thank you, Dada, for an excellent puzzle.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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Toughie No 3553 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
Greetings from a chilly but sunny Wirral. The past few days have seen the start of the return of the Dee Estuary’s pink-footed geese, so my morning walks with Lord Alfie have been lifted by the sight and sound of the flypasts as they disperse to do goose things in the fields of the North-west. The spectacle will only increase over the next couple of weeks – but it does mean Winter is Coming…
Dada has given us a n excellent, perfect Tuesday-level puzzle today, with plenty of clues that made me smile. I found the North slightly chewier than the South today, which warranted the extra half-star for difficulty. And the more I went through this writing the Blog, the more I enjoyed and appreciated it. 1d, 10a and 19a in particular all floated my boat, but in the end I’ve given my rosette to 18d. Thank you, Dada. Chapeau!
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Toughie No 3533 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
Welcome to the Toughie week from an overcast but dry Wirral.… Continue reading
Toughie No 3521 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Welcome, one and all. Something new for me today – my first Blog “on the road” – temporarily relocated to the quiet Shropshire village of Shrawardine to celebrate a Significant Birthday for the present Lady Whybird.… Continue reading
Toughie No 3509 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ****
Ouch! This was a bit of a shock to the system this morning. … Continue reading
Toughie No 3493 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Wirral. Thanks to ALP for all the Tuesday Tutorials. … Continue reading
Toughie No 3469 by Dada
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Dada’s back again with a largely straightforward puzzle – just a couple of scratchy synonyms (17a) and one leap of faith (20a) kept me on my toes.… Continue reading
Toughie No 3449 by Dada
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
Dada’s been pretty friendly today, peppering us with anagrams and some jolly lingo (17a, 19a, etc).… Continue reading