Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
Toughie No 3740 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***
Thanks to Luxor for an enjoyable and quite tricky Toughie where my progress was steady rather than meteoric.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
What a difference a day makes, eh? I raced through this. It’s all pretty fair and there’s no exotic vocab as such – I even vaguely remembered 26a. Moreover, the pangram was helpful. Now, I am not a horsey chap and this may well be fanciful overreach, but 1a and then 25d got me thinking. The latter (Sir Henry) trained 13a; and 12a, 20a, 8d & 9d were all racehorses. There may be others but my Google thumb was getting tired. Certainly, if there isn’t/wasn’t one called 11a (though presumably not 25a) I’m Kylie Minogue. But perhaps the heat has just further addled my brain. The floor is, as ever, yours to put me right …
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
I thought this was a properly tough Toughie, for both a Wednesday and a Donnybrook
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
It’s always a joy to see Shabbo’s name pop up. He’s clearly got the expected Tuesday non-difficulty level down pat, generously going out of his way to give us a toehold or ten (6d, etc). Ever so gentle, sure, but smoothly entertaining. If you like anagrams, you’re going to love it! The floor, as ever, is yours. PS … dinna fret – Whybird’s back next week!
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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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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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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
An excellent mid-week Toughie
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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Toughie No 3732 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
A typical Osmosis puzzle with tricky wordplay and well-disguised definitions throughout. Many thanks to him.
Continue reading “Toughie 3732”
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
‘Tis always a (rare-ish) treat to see Silvanus pop up on a Thursday – elegant as ever and nowt too tricky, with a very faint French flavour. 22d was new to me but it’s generously clued and I had to run through a few comedians to crack 12a. Still, the deletion and definition couldn’t be clearer. Even 7d’s botany (my bête noire) is gifted on a plate. So, not tremendously tough, just tremendously entertaining. À vous la parole!