Sunday Toughie No 159 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on the 9th of February 2025
Tag: 159
Sunday Toughie 159 (Hints)
Sunday Toughie No 159
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Beam has brought us his third Sunday Toughie. I found a couple of “traps” for the unwary and some tricky parsings here, but I think I have them all right now. Trademarks abound (less than 5.35 words per clue, single-word answers, the Queen and sweetheart, lurkers and initial letters too.)
I hope one of my usual commenters spots the name check in 16d and Senf gets a first name check too 10a!
A generous 16a and 16d clues today and I have hinted 7 of each – leaving me the scope for a bonus nudge or two if you ask
Here we go, Folks…
Toughie 159
Toughie No 159 by Excalibur
This one makes the others look good
+ – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
For some sadistic reason the price we have to pay for getting an Elgar puzzle every fortnight is one of these on the Fridays in between. While there are some good clues, the whole style irritates me – silly words and phrases and wordplay where the normal order of words is sacrificed in a futile attempt to achieve good surface reading. That it only achieves three stars for difficulty owes a lot to the fact that I have become used to the style. Roll on next Friday!