Toughie No 3688 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Category: Toughie Crosswords
Toughie 3687
Toughie No 3687 by Kcit
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment **/***
Pleasantly straightforward. 1a is arguably the trickiest clue but, having seen “birdwatching” used in a similar way recently, it flew in. Otherwise it will need checkers and/or some lateral thinking. A quintessentially Kcit puzzle, I’d say: all his usual traits are here and I can’t imagine (m)any problems. Still, you’ll be the judge of that! The floor is yours. Continue reading “Toughie 3687”
Toughie 3686
Toughie No 3686 by Stick Insect
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty <* – Enjoyment ****
Toughie 3685
Toughie No 3685 by Beam
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
We live in interesting and unusual times, that much is now clear, if it wasn’t already: Beam on a Tuesday? Whatever next? Anyway, whatever cosmic upheaval has brought this about, I am delighted that I have finally had the chance to blog one of his puzzles. Beam, initially in his back-page guise, and then in Toughie form, was the first setter whose individual style and craft I really started to understand and appreciate. Of course, that was back in the day when he was more verbose, with as many as 7 or 8 words a clue…
Having been working through backlog of Sunday Toughies, some featuring Beam in full-on Tough Toughie mode, I was worried about what I might face here, but he has been kind, whilst still giving us a challenge – notably parsing 5d, which was much harder than the solving part, and almost worth an extra difficulty star alone. All of the usual suspects are there (royalty, initials, sweethearts), just the innuendo lacking to spare my blushes at breakfast. Amongst many fine clues, I’m giving my prizes to 4d, 9d, 14d, 29a and 30a. Overall, another masterpiece in concise complexity! Thank you, Beam, for another excellent puzzle.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Sunday Toughie 224 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 224
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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All the Beam trademarks and a little of the difficulty today. In the unlikely event of needing a hint, I have provided hints for eight of the fourteen across clues and seven of the sixteen down clues.
A sudden opportunity to have solar panels installed means a busy week in the Beehive. I will try to give an extra nudge or two in between trips to the skips and or coffee shop.
A selection of pics and music included may or may not be bonus hints
Here we go, Folks…
Toughie 3684
Toughie No 3684 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
For a Friday Toughie Sparks is being quite gentle with us today. Thanks to him. He often gives a Nina in the grid and today we have a Dylan Thomas play as well as a phrase which is used backwards in 3d.
Toughie 3683
Toughie No 3683 by Bandit
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Crackerjack. Bandit’s taken some big swings here with brio and invention. They didn’t all (quite) land for me, but most did. And one has to applaud such welcome novelty: smart, fair wordplay and some sparky definitions. SO refreshing.
I didn’t find this too tricky as 1a’s slight quirk set the tone from the off – it’s always a glorious sign when the first clue does that. Get on the setter’s wavelength early on, lap up a couple of gimmes and you’re away.
Added to which, he’s enabled me to self-indulgently clip G. Love, Rocky, Dury, Withnail, Loudon, Ivor, the Tour de France AND a spot of boss reggae … that’s a full house! So it could only be a fiver from me. With – I trust – 3ds at hand, the floor is yours.
Toughie 3682
Toughie No 3682 by Django
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Toughie 3681
Toughie No 3681 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
A welcome return to the Setter’s Chair for Chalicea today, and whilst this is generally at the gentle end of the spectrum (and a very much needed emollient for the bruises left after the battering from Elgar’s Friday Beast) there are a few that required a bit of thought, and a new word for me necessitating a dive into the BRB. Whilst 1a, 16a, 17d and 18d get honourable mentions, I can’t look beyond 7d for my gold medal place today. Thank you, Chalicea, for a very enjoyable start to the Toughie Week.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Sunday Toughie 223 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 223
by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Zandio brings us a flough(ier) toughie than some. I rattled this off after an exciting (semi) finale to the Snooker last night. I hope the final today and tomorrow is as good.
21a and 11d stood out for me but I am sure you will like most of these fine clues
14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half. I will try and give a nudge or two if you ask.
Here We Go…