3741 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3741

Toughie No 3741 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird

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BD Rating – Difficulty  ***   – Enjoyment ***

Greetings and welcome to another Toughie Week!  Many thanks to Gazza and ALP for filing in whist I was off on my Jollies – Audouin’s gull, Cory’s, Scopoli’s, Balearic and Manx shearwaters, crested tit, spotless starling, black redstart, long-finned pilot whale, common dolphin, loggerhead turtle, and a (probably Fin) whale were the wildlife highlights, plus 70-odd seconds of total eclipse, so I’m pretty happy with that haul!

Dada had given us a stiff test today, certainly meriting its Toughie label.  There are some very clever and inventive clues but I didn’t warm to it as much as I was expecting, although I can’t really work out why. 16a and 26a get honourable mentions, but I’m giving my top prize today to 18a. Thanks to Dada for robustly knocking away the post-holiday cobwebs.

Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle. 

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