3773 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie 3773

Toughie No 3773 by Shabbo
Hints and tips by Whybird

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BD Rating – Difficulty  *   –  Enjoyment ****

Welcome to another Toughie Week.  Thanks to Gazza for filling in last week whilst I was toiling away in the Santa Clara area:  Anna’s Hummingbird, Least and Elegant terns, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, White Pelican and Northern Harrier were amongst the incidental avian highlights.

We have an excellent puzzle from Shabbo today (and a rare example of being right with my morning “guess the setter” game).  There’s nothing too difficult, but the puzzle is very well crafted with generally concise but smooth-surfaced clues. 17a, 20d, 24a and 27a (lovely word) all stood out for me, but my absolute favourite today was the wonderful 1d – perfect on all fronts.  Thanks to Shabbo for another cracker!

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

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