Toughie No 3709 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */2 – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to another Sunny Summer Inside Page Cryptic Crossword week. I know it says “Toughie” above, and in the paper, and on the Puzzles Page, but it isn’t. We have another TINO and I only raised the difficulty level by a quarter of a star because of a couple in the NE and for the parsing of 15d. That’s not to say the puzzle is in any way poor – it’s neatly and cleverly clued as ever for a Chalicea – it was just over far too soon for me, with the notable exception of 15d. Amongst my favourites were 3d, 7d, 16a, 19a, 20d, 22d and 29a. However, I’m giving my top prize to 15d.
Thanks to Chalicea for a very pleasant puzzle.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.