Before we get going on the hints, I have a favour to ask. I have managed to secure a ticket to see Bruce Springsteen in Liverpool on the 7th of June, and although I should be home in the wee small hours of Sunday the 8th it is also my birthday😁🎂, and I am looking for a volunteer to hint the Sunday Toughie that day. I will probably be tired/hungover but will be trying to solve myself so I can assist if required.
I started slowly last night but picked up the pace as checkers and linked clues helped. there are 14a and 14d clues today and I have hited half, further nudges may be available if you ask
I found this a proper toughie last night, but as usual a night to sleep on it and I think all has become clear. Clues of a wide range of types and I found it quite tricky to limit myself to half of 16a and 14d clues.
Some fine surfaces today and a bonus nudge may be available if you ask
Good luck to Rory McIlroy – I think he has a 5d of securing his first Green Jacket
I had a rather pleasant tour of the North East Coasts and Castles yesterday, but I was rather tired and a restorative Torabhaigh meant that I fell asleep before I had fully parsed this last night. Coffee and a bacon butty restored me this morning.
Is Zandio having a go at my drinking in the unches going right from 16… perhaps not
I wouldn’t recommend trying to set up a new Windows 11 laptop at the same time as a new phone, but technical issues apart this was a fun Sunday Toughie that troubled me less than the aforementioned tech issues. 14a and 14d clues and I have hinted half
I have some doubts about 4d but I am sure someone will throw some light on stocks. Looking at the grid and the clues I have hinted there are a lot of gaps in the East but when in doubt look for anagrams and lurkers and you should get enough checkers to find the rest. I will try and help with a bonus nudge if required.
A good friend pointed out the dangers in 25a, whatever you do make sure you abandon the odd letters. If you don’t you will have the start of a very unsuitable word for the crossword. I assume neither Zandio or CL spotted this 😭, but MP did😁
Zandio very graciously provided me with an advanced copy of this puzzle. I imagine I will be a “bit under the weather” after the Big Bash and unable to give this puzzle a good blogging. By the time you read this, I should be on a train home but I will respond to comments if and when I can.
I hope I have transcribed the clues accurately, as I haven’t seen the puzzle in print yet. It is quite tricky and has lots of cross-references between clues. Big Dave’s advice when I started these hints almost three years ago was to hint first and last across and down clues with about half the clues hinted. I have stopped at half hints before I got to the end.
I have hinted at half of the 14a and 16d clues. I hope you find the checkers to enable completion, as the journey home from the Big Bash may make bonus nudges a bit tricky.
*Post Bash update*
All had a great time, and it was even better to see so many old and new faces. The Teams link was a little problematic, but I hope those who managed to log on could join in the fun a little. Many thanks to Steve C who got the ball rolling with a donation to the bar bill, even though he may have preferred not to be teased by those displaying “Mythical” Pens. Over the next few days, I hope to collate photos taken and put them in the gallery.
Zandio with his usual entertaining not to tuff tuffie. I found it quite hard to choose which clues to hint but here are half of 14a and 14d clues and I hope there are enough checkers to get you over the line
There are quite a few literary references to styles of writings from Aesop to Hans Christian Anderson but I may be going 16a to call it a theme
Many thanks to Zandio who sent me an advance copy of the puzzle as I will be/am boozing with crossword peeps at the S&B in York. Fortunately, this puzzle was not as “Gross” as its number suggests and apart from not knowing enough about RFK Jr it was a not-too-tuff tuffie
Along with the Sunday Toughie, Zandio sent the GK puzzle that appears next to the toughie and for those interested in all things Sloggers & Betters I believe there is a bit of a theme to be discovered
We have 14a and 14d clues today and as has become my practice I have hinted just under half, A bonus nudge may be available if required but bear in mind I may be feeling a little hungover after the aforementioned boozing
I managed to get hold of this at about 11:20 last night and had it largely filled in by Midnight, some not-too-tricky parsing and a bit of formatting and I was off to the land of nod fairly early on.
We have 14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half, A couple of lurkers and anagrams both whole and partial should fill most of the gaps but I will try and give a bonus hint for clues that didn’t make the cut
Zandio with a not-too-tuff tuffie today, not much harder than his Friday back pager. I hope I haven’t dropped a catch by changing from Go West and a cricket catch to a more obvious place to go in 3a but I am sure the answer is correct even if my parsing fails
We have 14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half. If you remember the maxim “when in doubt look for a lurker you should get enough checkers to fill the lights
