Toughie No 3666 by Donnybrook
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Category: Donnybrook
Toughie 3651
Toughie No 3651 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A Donnybrook with no linked clues? What’s the world coming to?! Nicely playful with a vaguely classical bent and great fun as always. All yours.
Toughie 3630
Toughie No 3630 by Donnybrook
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Toughie 3605
Toughie No 3605 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to the Toughie Week, one and all. Summer is on its way! Let’s just hope it isn’t travelling by train…
One of the benefits of the dark mornings is that the local tawny owls are heading home to roost at a relatively civilised hour, which fits with my normal walk with Lord Alfie. I’ve managed to see them twice at close quarters in the past week, and been alarmed by nearby, loud hooting.
I must confess I was expecting something rather more festive on the crossword front this morning. What we have is the complete opposite, and whilst I did not enjoy the gloomy (not to say apocalyptic) theme early in the day, this has grown on me as I’ve dug around a bit more. Not being very clued up on Saints’ Days, it was only when I started ferreting, that I discovered that 27th Dec is the feast day for St John the Divine. The theme is therefore suitably seasonal, in a cryptic sense entirely suited to the medium! The puzzle is very clever, and there are a couple of clues I thought were great. There are a few “gimmes” to get the ball rolling, and a few obscurities to significantly raise the difficulty level. 10a and 27a get honourable mentions, 14a sneakily gets into second, but my prize today goes to 26d by a fair distance.
Thanks to Donnybrook for the challenge and the learning opportunities.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Toughie 3593
Toughie No 3593 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Welcome to the Toughie week!
Donnybrook has given us something of a challenge today. I found this to be much trickier than usual, and needed quite a bit more applied brain-power than I am accustomed to engaging before the morning tea has kicked in. It certainly wasn’t helped by having 1a as a “part two” of a later clue, which, perhaps irrationally, rather set the tone for a bit of a struggle. However, all of the clues are clear and fair, even if some are a little more left-field than others. I’m giving rosettes to 9a (for the holiday memories), 11a and 22a (for the surfaces) and 3d (for elegant simplicity). Thanks to Donnybrook for blasting away the mental cobwebs.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Toughie 3577
Toughie No 3577 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment *****
Welcome to the Toughie Week! Well, the hawfinches might not have been obliging, but RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands has delivered a very showy bittern and a closing time/dusk glossy ibis so not all of my feathered friends are avoiding me.
This is very much a Toughie from Donnybrook, to whom many thanks for the challenge. I did double-check the top right corner of the newspaper, and it assures me that it actually is a Tuesday today. There are a few “gimmes” to get things rolling, and whilst there is a chunk of general knowledge that I didn’t have to hand, the clues are all clear and precise; many are very clever indeed. My podium places today go to 2d, 3d and 8d, with 23a and 6d getting very honourable mentions.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
I am taking a short break from the blog – I’m being “sent” to Tokyo for work, and then taking the opportunity to go chasing cranes, owls and eagles. Shabbo has kindly volunteered to craft the blog for the next two Tuesdays, so thanks very much to him for that.
Toughie 3565
Toughie No 3565 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to the Toughie week. Autumn is well underway on the Wirral, and the redwings are pouring in (or over/through).
Donnybrook has given us a fairly gentle and enjoyable start to this week’s proceedings. Despite my terror at seeing linked clues, these were on the mild side and provided a good way in, helped by twigging 1a straightaway. Spotting a couple of “high score” Scrabble letters had me wondering about pangrams, but I can’t see anything unusual on that front.
6d is a clear winner for me today, although the answer to 2d is a top word! Thanks to Donnybrook for easing us in nicely.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Toughie 3549
Toughie No 3549 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to another Toughie week!
I often struggle to get onto Donnybrook’s wavelength, and today was no exception. … Continue reading
Toughie 3517
Toughie No 3517 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Hello from an overcast, not-exactly-warm Wirral peninsula. I am right, it is a Tuesday again, isn’t it? … Continue reading
Toughie 3501
Toughie No 3501 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from a distinctly dreich Wirral. I suppose the garden will benefit, but it’s not what I want from late June! … Continue reading