Give us a clue...
Ex-mirror puzzler sets challenge of ‘world’s toughest crossword’
THIS is the puzzle that might have you muttering a cross word or two...
Former Daily Mirror quiz-man Marc Breman says it is the trickiest crossword ever compiled.
It includes 64 “fiendishly tough” clues that are virtually impossible for a layman to crack, he claims.
Fellow compilers have failed to beat the crossword and have branded it the “world’s hardest”.
Marc, 56, reckons it is 100 times harder than any he has compiled in his 30-year career with the Mirror and other papers.
He said: “I’m not saying that this
ACROSS
Leave after finding nothing in big rambling empty space (4,6)
6 Tolerate swimming in sea that tastes of tarragon (9) Exterminator has drink within Denmark’s borders (5)
Round a great deal, turning out hit that’s within hearing (7)
Some heat to cook rice, getting address in Spain back (7)
People fail to perform with that woman’s leaderless energy (8)
Tiny bit hard, production being broadcast (6) American uncle has left grand in Wimbledon (4) Endless call to finish measurement system in the tube (6)
23 Tune has audible pause
and it slows down (3,5)
25 Virtuoso pianist makes record, capturing mezzo’s heart (5)
27 Car blockade has husband running from Bonn to Berlin (8)
29 Head of casting is apparent during whole film (4)
Force redhead to leave ales out for sugar supplier... (7) 35 ... while two presidents
take one for water (5)
36 Borderless land with musical backing gets an F, say (9)
38 Mention missing British
swimmer (5)
39 Lost message initially not appearing in court (7)
One wrapped in bacon, informally, often after chicken (4)
42 Lack of cover not applicable to holidaymaking, old excepted (8) 44 Refrain, having renounced
Catholic god (5)
46 Rarest natural thing in a
situation outside (8)
48 The same time out taken by royal chief (6)
Yorkshire flower of zero application (4)
52 Supermarket’s first poster
is a simple thing (6)
54 Renaissance figure reaches endgame with US subject (8)
58 Played role wearing top, wasting second getting seafood (7)
59 Dance, taking drug, joining
large set (7)
60 Follower rejected conclusion and hit organised religion (5)
1 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 31 41 51 crossword cannot be completed, because of course it can.
“But it is fiendishly tough and significantly harder than anything I’ve ever compiled before.
“It was referred to by a colleague as the ‘world’s hardest’ – an opinion which seems about right.
“Based on the feedback of other compilers, mine is about 100 times harder. It would take the average enthusiast 100 times longer to Is transported and held inside devil’s workshop (4,5)
62 Jellyfish swallowed gem formation that’s often crystallised (4,6) 61
DOWN
Writer, say, coming back with
papers (4)
2 During dance, he’ll deploy
carrier (7)
3 Old rallying point in old TV series with no middle or end (5)
4 Dishonest, short of getting
further at King’s Head (6) 5 Scholarship got one a lot of
land, formerly (8)
7 Antipodean took cover
during deployment of
1 solve it. This amounts to 100 weeks, or just over two years.”
Nevertheless, Londoner Simon Anthony, 44 – who describes himself as a “keen puzzler” – said he had solved the crossword in less than two hours yesterday.
The hardest clue is said to be 4 down, “Dishonest,
cane (7)
8 Tommy is no mod, getting
work as leader (4,5)
9 Rod in scrap to get Lombardy crown (4) Heard title more in Paris too much (7)
Platform has no space for student or new conciseness (4)
The trouble with growth is protection (6)
Exploit terrible initial takeoff during flight (8)
20 Flirt, visiting first beach in
the Costa Blanca (4,6)
22 Going by coach with island head for professional purposes (2,8)
24 What Nietzsche wrote
about rates and capital (9) 10 11 12 19 short of getting further at King’s Head”, and Marc, from London, hinted it relies on an “uncommon usage of an obscure word”.
Marc, who writes 13,500 clues per year and has created 30,000 puzzles, has promised the first 10 people to crack the crossword a free copy of his new book, The Foggiest Notion. Anyone who thinks they have solved the crossword can submit it to Marc at www. marcbreman.london. 26 Cook foremost cuisine
with leading playboy (4) 28 Artist occupies avian
property (5)
30 Work hard to remove rut developing out of chaos (4)
32 Almost a return to Atari’s
ultimate computers (5)
33 They’re collected from
border in record time (8) 34 Night, without a current
replacement weapon (4) 37 English drink not registered as Dutch export (4)
40 Pizza supplier finds time right to race round during song (9)
43 Drinking group gets rest to
set broken foot (8) 44 Fuss about a large bear (6) 45 Kane’s last word to
girlfriend (7)
47 Number added to recipients of email that’s stolen (7)
49 Everyone in Italy needing extremes, audibly disapproving (7)
50 Twisted descent, all so twisted, reaches bottom end (6)
53 Clip ends off negative that’s found on the floor (4)
55 Elizabethan has to get irregular start, not uniform (5)
56 Swelling school terms’
starts by six months (4)
57 24 having a drink (4)