Toughie No 1438 by Messinae
Only one beef today
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Thanks to Messinae for a very pleasant puzzle with some good surface readings and several d’oh moments.… Continue reading
Category: Messinae
Messinae is Richard Palmer. He is also known as Merlin.
Toughie 1403
Toughie No 1403 by Messinae
Hints and tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
It’s been a long time (over 18 months) since I last blogged a Messinae puzzle and so I wasn’t sure what to expect.… Continue reading
Toughie 1365
Toughie No 1365 by Messinae
Bullseye!
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A puzzle that, in common with many Tuesday Toughies, would sit happily on the back page. … Continue reading
Toughie 1345
Toughie No 1345 by Messinae
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Blue skies over Rutland and a note of springlike warmth in the air. I made altogether heavier weather of the top half of this nice Messinae puzzle that gets another Toughie week underway. There is something of a rustic thread running through some of the clues and solutions, possibly fortuitous.
Do let us know how you got on and what you thought. First-time commenters especially welcome!
Toughie 1315
Toughie No 1315 by Messinae
Play for Today
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
It’s Christmas Eve and we have a themed puzzle – so no prizes for guessing what the theme is all about. We’re told in the preamble: “14 thematic answers are clued by wordplay only; of these, one answer contains all the others and one group is included both individually and collectively.” I’ve identified the 14 thematic answers with ** – obviously, because they have no definitions, there’s nothing underlined in those clues.
I thought that this was most enjoyable and not that difficult (ideal for those who have limited time today due to other commitments) with some inventive and well-crafted clues.
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Toughie 1302
Toughie No 1302 by Messinae
Gift-wrapped
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BD Rating - Difficulty */** - Enjoyment **/***
A regular on these pages who has tens of thousands more puzzles behind her than I ever will (and amazing powers of recall too) emailed me this morning to suggest Chestnuts Roasting as the strapline for today's Toughie review. I've gone for Gift-Wrapped in reference to the four write-in clues around the edge.
Toughie 1266
Toughie No 1266 by Messinae
Where’s Wallace?
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A typical Tuesday not-very Toughie with a few smiles along the way.
Toughie 1222
Toughie No 1222 by Messinae
Hints and tips by Toro
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A more stretching puzzle than recent Tuesday Toughies, very solidly clued with excellent surface readings, a couple of pukka &lits, and some uncommon words and meanings in both clues and solutions. Also virtually anagram-free. Very enjoyable stuff indeed – thanks Messinae.
Toughie 1194
Toughie No 1194 by Messinae
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
While this Toughie is not a candidate for the Friday slot, I found it to be a bit harder than those usually encountered on a Tuesday.
Toughie 1159
Toughie No 1159 by Messinae
Shurely Shome Mishtake
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
This was a very pleasant if not over-taxing Toughie, although the diminutive female in 1a was completely new to me.
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