Toughie No 3702 by Django
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Category: Toughie Crosswords
Sunday Toughie 227 (Review)
Sunday Toughie No 227 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 31st of May 2026
Toughie 3701
Toughie No 3701 by Beam
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Well, well! Another Tuesday appearance for King Concision… You wait ages to blog a Beam puzzle, then two come along (almost) at once. That’s all to the good as far as I am concerned! We have three six-word clues, and everything else is even more concise.
I started off at a rate of knots and was starting to wonder whether “Floughie” and “Beam” had ever been linked in a Blog. I should have known better, and the South-west corner, along with 2d put up a valiant fight, the end result being pretty much spot-on for a Tuesday. I have ticks all over the place, notably 2d, 15d, 16d, 18d, 21a and 27a, but I’m giving my Gold Star to 12a. Thanks to Beam for a very enjoyable tussle.
Please accept my apologies for the absence of illustrations and the like. In the short time since competing the puzzle and typing the blog, I’ve started an attack of man-flu or the like, and need to leave it here.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Sunday Toughie 228 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 228
by Light
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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I found Light at the trickier end of the spectrum last night and quite difficult to select hints.
I have hinted half of 28 clues, with a bonus pic at the end.
I hope you find the checkers to solve this puzzle, but I am going out for lunch to celebrate the eve of a significant date for Nick Rhodes
and myself, and nudges will be sparse until later this evening.
Here we go, Folks…
Toughie 3699
Toughie No 3699 by Karla
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Bloggers have to keep their wits about them tackling Karla. Not necessarily because of the wordplay – which is very straightforward today – but because he often hides a subtle Le Carré-flavoured Nina in the grid. Well, I can’t really spot one of those. Perhaps you can? But … there is a four-letter word (plus “set” and, possibly, “it”) running diagonally from the top left corner which, when anagrammed with 1a’s second letter, should/could give you summat. I may, of course, be reaching. I briefly thought, on clocking 14d, that Smiley might be making an appearance, but the last three letters of the crossing 18a don’t quite get you there – unless you play with them. We’ve also got a flurry of names – Enid, Charlie, Juliet, Victor, Seal (possibly), Vogue, Oscar and Cindy – but it’s certainly not a band I recognise! The floor, as ever, is yours.
Toughie 3698
Toughie No 3698 by Weatherman
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ***
Sunday Toughie 226 (Review)
Sunday Toughie No 226 by Silvanus
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 24th of May 2026
Toughie 3697
Toughie No 3697 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Well this is a genuine Toughie, no worries on that score. I thought the difficulty level was perfectly pitched for a Tuesday. There is plenty of Dada’s characteristic, quirky clueing and if his name hadn’t been plastered across the top of the page, I would have ventured a few small coins on the setter’s identity and been correct for once. 23a piqued my Inner Pedant, 5d gave it a hard poke, and I’ve abraded the top of my head a little trying to parse 25d. 12a made me smile, I liked 14d’s structure, as well as the solution being a great word, but the clear winner of my Gold Star today is the clever, smooth-surfaced 15d. Thanks to Dada for making the Tuesday morning tea work somewhat harder than of late.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Sunday Toughie 227 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 227
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A generous 32 clues from Beam today, all the trademarks are here. I have hinted at 17 clues, so I can give a nudge if needed.
I went a bit 2d OTT with The Who today, but feel free to ignore some or all of the music links.
I was hoping to match Senf’s image of John Halpern/Dada with one of Ray Terrell/Beam but I have failed to find a pic. Maybe you can help.
Here we go, Folks…
Toughie 3696
Toughie No 3696 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *****+ – Enjoyment *****
There is one thing the solver can be certain about when it is Elgar Friday is that there will be no doubt whatsoever that we will have a properly tough Toughie to solve Continue reading “Toughie 3696”