Toughie No 3736 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
If I hadn’t struggled so mightily to parse two of the clues, I might have said that I really enjoyed this proper Friday Toughie but I still can’t parse one of them (and none of the three crossword-solving ‘friends I phoned’ could help until I got an email just after the blog was published. I spotted the theme quite early on in the solving process – apparently it is the centenary of Britain’s first Grand Prix [the names of eleven British Formula One champions are to be found in the Across solutions, some of them crossing over two solutions, one name doing double duty for father and son with that surname]
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Toughie No 3735 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Solid stuff from Django today, with his usual flourishes. 1a tickled me from the off. I once filed a piece for The Independent about Britain’s “poshest” dump. There were working tumble-dryers discarded there willy-nilly – one still in its box, quickly snapped up by the hawk-eyed manager. There was even an on-site shop to sell the best of the plunder that included a W-reg Ford Fiesta (with MOT) and a speedboat. That’s Dorset for you!
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31311
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** Enjoyment ****
This is the trickiest puzzle of the week so far which is just right for a Thursday and I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to today’s setter.
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Toughie No 3734 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
An excellent mid-week Toughie
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31310
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. I found today’s crossword fairly challenging for a Wednesday. A reasonable amount of general knowledge is needed: there are several artistic and literary references, and some familiarity with Indian nobility is useful. My favourite clues today are the Spoonerism in 1d and the hapless prince in 26a. Many thanks to our setter.
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Toughie No 3733 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Whybird is off on his holidays so I’m standing in today.
Beam is obviously the flavour of the month at Telegraph Towers – this is his second Toughie in three days. All his trademarks are present today in a gentle and enjoyable puzzle.
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Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31309
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
Mercifully cooler today so it promises to be a lot more comfortable on the golf course this afternoon.
I found today’s Anthony Plumb offering a good bit easier than last week & about on a par with Heron’s puzzle yesterday in terms of difficulty. As ever nicely clued throughout with some excellent surfaces. Any corrections to the hints (if current form is anything to go by there’s bound to be at least one) will have to wait until later.
There’s a quick reappearance from Ray T over in t’other place with a very enjoyable & fairly gentle(ish) Beamer that’s begging to be walloped to the boundary ropes. I’m sure both he & Whybird would welcome your thoughts on it.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
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Sunday Toughie No 236
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Beam has brought all his trademarks today, with a generous 16a and 16d clues today. I have hinted at half, but will try and give a nudge if asked.
Mama Bee wants to go shopping, so I may have to work around her needs.
Here we go, Folks…
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Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3380 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, from late on Wednesday to quite early on Thursday, we had a doozy (N American informal) of a thunderstorm or so I am told as I was safe in the arms of Morpheus throughout the whole thing! But, I do know that we ‘lost’ power, as a result of the storm, for approximately 7 hours from 11;30 pm on Wednesday to 6:30 am on Thursday – I thought that my first coffee of the day was at risk!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly with four long ‘uns (only one of them an anagram), only three anagrams (one partial), two lurkers, and one homophone, all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
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