Competition clues by John Appleton
Other competitors | Competition results
John Appleton has 69 clues
| Comp | Clue word | Clue | Explanation | Pos | Points | Merits | 2024 Annual Competition | 9 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | LITTLE | Petty drunk let off | LIT (drunk) + LET* | 6 | 26.5 | 1 | 2 |
| January 2024 | AMAZON | Jungle Book seller, initially | Double def. | 10 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2023 Annual Competition | 11 | 7 | |||||
| October 2023 | GRANGER | Germaine Greer, oddly, is country housekeeper! | GeRmAiNe GrEeR; Def = country housekeeper | 2 | 43 | 0 | 1 |
| August 2023 | WALES | Country and western society drinking beer | W[estern] S[ociety] around ALE | 6 | 20.5 | 2 | 2 |
| July 2023 | SATISFACTION | Vindication of old anti-fascist organisation | (OANTIFASCIST)* def = Vindication (Chambers Thesaurus) | 9 | 20.5 | 3 | |
| June 2023 | WORLD WIDE WEB | System, vast and complex. | &lit, WORLD (system), WIDE (vast) WEB (complex) – all Chambers Thesaurus. | 7 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| May 2023 | MACGUFFIN | Frodo and Co. initially fuming about the One Ring? | (F A C FUMING)* | 6 | 27.5 | 0 | 1 |
| March 2023 | PANDEMIC | It affects many camped in wild | CAMPEDIN* | 8 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| January 2023 | METROPOLIS | Harry Langdon's first to promise influential silent film. | Def = "influential silent film"; (L[angdon]TOPROMISE)*, Harry = anagrind. | 10 | 24 | 2 | |
| 2022 Annual Competition | 1 | 15.5 | |||||
| September 2022 | CHARLES THE THIRD | Corrupt Thatcher slid her a sovereign | (Thatcher slid her)* | 5 | 29 | 4 | |
| August 2022 | CURIOSITY | Perhaps it is your constant nosiness! | (IT IS YOUR C[onstant])*; semi &lit | 9 | 24 | 2 | 1 |
| July 2022 | MERCHANT | R.E.M. making a comeback with song for commercial | REM< + CHANT | 3 | 34 | 3 | 2 |
| June 2022 | WOODWARD | Fight in club finally stopped by park ranger | WAR in (WOOD + [stoppe]D) | 4 | 28.5 | 2 | 5 |
| February 2022 | DOLCE VITA | Maybe Cato lived a fine life in Rome | (CATOLIVED)*; | 1 | 44.5 | 1 | 4 |
| January 2022 | UNDERGROUND | Resistance not entirely crushed? | Double def. | 2 | 43 | 4 | 5 |
| 2021 Annual Competition | 16 | 5.5 | |||||
| November 2021 | SOUSAPHONE | One has opus composed for this? | (ONEHASOPUS)*; semi-&lit. | 8 | 24 | 3 | 3 |
| July 2021 | MACARONI | Use this, cooking a main course? | Comp. anag. &lit; USEMACARONI* = AMAINCOURSE | 2 | 40.5 | 1 | 2 |
| June 2021 | NELSON / PRINCE (Right & Left) | Hamlet maybe drunk nice port, wanting to hold Horatio? | PRINCE: Def = "Hamlet maybe"; (NICEPORT)* -TO NELSON: Double def. | 10 | 19.5 | 4 | 5 |
| February 2021 | WETLANDS | One year away from Walt Disney production in the Everglades? (8) | I Y[ear] removed from (WALTDISNEY)*; def = "the Everglades?" | 10 | 21.5 | 3 | 3 |
| 2020 Annual Competition | 16 | 4.5 | |||||
| October 2020 | GLORIA | Two-thirds of algorithm revised as it goes over one's head | ALGORI*; gloria = halo, hence going over one's head. | 4 | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2020 | SEVEN (Printer’s Devilry) | George Osborne disregarding standards, Tory-style | Undevilled: "George Osborne disregards Evening Standard story style". Ref. to that newspaper's Editor-in-chief. | 10 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| July 2020 | CAESAREAN | A Saracen horde finally beaten by imperialist | (A SARACEN [hord]E)* | 10 | 17.5 | 1 | |
| March 2020 | WARTIME | So, this involved two armies? | Comp. anag. &lit.; (TWOARMIES)* = SO + WARTIME | 5 | 29 | 0 | 3 |
| January 2020 | TWO-FACED | Double-dealing de facto leader of Welsh Assembly | (DE FACTO +W)*; definition "Double-dealing" in Chambers Thesaurus | 6 | 25 | 0 | 5 |
| 2019 Annual Competition | 7 | 9 | |||||
| October 2019 | GULES | Old Scottish marigolds giving field colour? | Double def, For "Old Scottish marigolds" see Chambers; "field" being the background of a shield in heraldry. | 5 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| August 2019 | STERNUM | Harry S. Truman not one close to the bone | Anagrind = Harry; (S TRUM[a]N [th]E)* | 10 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| July 2019 | NEVER SAY DIE | Seven Year Itch director originally produced Carry on Regardless | Def = "Carry on regardless", (SEVENYEAR I[tch] D[irector])* | 7 | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| May 2019 | MERCURY | Number 1 for Mötley Crüe, playing extremely rowdy metal | M[otley] + CRUE* + R[owd]Y | 3 | 25.5 | 1 | 3 |
| April 2019 | SUCKER-PUNCH | Mötley Crüe's punk choir is a surprise hit | Anagrind = motley; (CRUESPUNKCH)*. Ref. to rock band Mötley Crüe. | 8 | 22.5 | 1 | 2 |
| February 2019 | RAINBOW | Meteorological phenomenon is mostly Brownian motion | def = "Meteorological phenomenon"; BROWNIA* | 9 | 23 | 2 | 1 |
| January 2019 | PINK | Scallop stocked by shop in Knightsbridge | def = Scallop; hidden in sho[P IN K]nightsbridge | 3 | 35 | 2 | 2 |
| 2018 Annual Competition | 15 | 6 | |||||
| August 2018 | FAIRY / POINT (Right & Left) | Perhaps Tinker Bell just has Wendy's ultimate aim – end of Hook? | FAIRY: Def "Perhaps Tinker Bell"; FAIR [just] + [wend]Y. POINT: Double def: aim, and a hook might end with a point. | 6 | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| April 2018 | SOLITAIRE | Is it a role-playing game? | (IS IT A ROLE)* | 1 | 47.5 | 2 | |
| February 2018 | DRUNKENNESS | Inebriation causing deviant nun to grab man in frock | KEN in NUN*, inside DRESS. | 6 | 24 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 Annual Competition | 8 | 7 | |||||
| October 2017 | EQUIPOISE | Provide heads of oil industry some economic stability | EQUIP + O + I + S + E; def = stability. | 4 | 37 | 1 | |
| August 2017 | HALFPENNY | Help Fanny out a little bit | HELPFANNY*; def = "a little bit" | 3 | 33 | 3 | 1 |
| July 2017 | FIDDLER | Violinist flirted outrageously with Duke, after dumping tenor | (FLIRTED + D[uke])* -T[enor] | 9 | 18.5 | 2 | 1 |
| February 2017 | FURPHY | Maybe Victoria's water cart is a thing that doesn’t hold water? | Double def, Victoria = Australian state; "hold water" = "to be correct or well grounded" | 5 | 22.5 | 2 | 4 |
| January 2017 | CASHMERE | Legal argument surrounding Her Majesty the Queen – it's woolly | CASE around HM ER | 6 | 22.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2016 Annual Competition | 5 | 14.5 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2016 | TWELVEMONTH / A thematic word of your choice (Right & Left) | Year when vote initially made Trump look corrupt, plain and simple, and rocked EU – time for King to reform | TWELVEMONTH: Def: year, (WHEN VOTE MTL)* UNDECORATED: Def: plain and simple, (AND ROCKED EU)* -K +T | 7 | 14.5 | 0 | 2 |
| August 2016 | LAUGHTER | Funny fifth instalment of Asterix the Gaul produces this? | ([aste]R[ix] THE GAUL)*; semi &lit. | 1 | 45 | 1 | 3 |
| May 2016 | DISMAYED | Horrified homophobe's conclusion: "My dad is queer!" | Def = Horrified; ([homophob]E MY DAD IS)*. Chambers Thesaurus has "horrify" = "dismay". | 2 | 46.5 | 1 | 2 |
| February 2016 | LIFEBOAT | A bit of help, essentially, at sea? | (A BIT OF [h]EL[p])*; &lit | 1 | 54.5 | 3 | 5 |
| 2015 Annual Competition | 10 | 5.5 | |||||
| April 2015 | CHOKEY | Finally, Frederic March to work alongside Stanley Holloway? | Def = "Holloway?"; final letters of "Frederic March to work alongside Stanley" | 10 | 16 | 0 | |
| March 2015 | DREAMBOAT | Hunk's mad to bare nuts | (mad to bare)* | 7 | 24.5 | 1 | 2 |
| February 2015 | RED-HOT | Be this when outrageously bothered? | Comp. anag. &lit; (BE REDHOT)* = BOTHERED. (Chambers: "marked by extreme emotion of any kind") | 2 | 27.5 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2015 | GREEDY GUTS | Big bottom deters guy – awful pig | Def = "pig"; ([bi]G DETERS GUY)* | 9 | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| 2014 Annual Competition | 7 | 8.5 | |||||
| November 2014 | BRIDEWELL | Can bell-bottoms be wider, perhaps? | Def = "Can"; ([be]LL BE WIDER)*. | 4 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| August 2014 | EATANSWILL | Drunk as a newt, and ill from rotten choice of diet? | (AS A NEWT)* + ILL; def = "rotten choice of diet?", (diet = parliament, see Chambers [2]). | 5 | 32 | 3 | 1 |
| May 2014 | BINGLE | He loves Miss Bennett's short hairdo | Def = "hairdo"; "He loves Miss Bennett" = BINGLEY (ref. Pride and Prejudice). | 7 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| January 2014 | HOLMESIAN | Fan of Private Eye, me – Ian Hislop endlessly funny | Def = "Fan of Private Eye"; (ME + [ i]ANHISLO[p])*; Ref to Ian Hislop being editor of that esteemed organ. | 1 | 44 | 4 | 4 |
| 2013 Annual Competition | 4 | 13 | |||||
| November 2013 | PROLIX | Positive argument in speech beats rambling | Def = "rambling", as adjective; PRO (positive argument) + LIX (hom of LICKS, i.e. beats) | 10 | 17.5 | 2 | 2 |
| October 2013 | DOLMADES | Turkey snacks – Boxing Day's same old rubbish! | Around (i.e. boxing) D[ay] is SAMEOLD* | 2 | 56 | 2 | 3 |
| September 2013 | LION-HEART | Torah has line re-set in bold type | (TORAH + LINE)*; def = bold type. | 8 | 23.5 | 0 | 3 |
| March 2013 | EASTER (Misprints) | Follower of Lent? | &lit; Misprint is FASTER (one who fasts at Lent). Easter, of course, follows Lent. | 2 | 56.5 | 2 | 10 |
| January 2013 | PIPSQUEAK | Kill, and confess nothing | PIP (kill, Chambers3) + SQUEAK (confess); def = nothing (Chambers Thesaurus) | 2 | 48 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 Annual Competition | 6 | 9.5 | |||||
| November 2012 | DICKEY | Cooking essentially dangerous without apron | Def = apron; K (cooking, essentially) with DICEY (dangerous) around (without). | 6 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| October 2012 | POSTICHE | Wig model acquiring nasty itch | POSE (model) around ITCH*; def = wig. | 5 | 32.5 | 1 | 5 |
| July 2012 | JUSQU'AUBOUTISTE | Endless queue is just about formed – I'll go to the end. | (QUEU[e] IS JUST ABOUT)* | 2 | 52 | 1 | 4 |
| March 2012 | A “GMT” word (Letters Latent) | Brilliant rock melodies on Elvis covers (8) | GEMSTONE = ESONE; hidden in (covered by) melodiES ON Elvis | 8 | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| February 2012 | BISSEXTILE | The only time women should propose? Awful, sexist bile! | (SEXIST BILE)* – reference to the tradition that women should propose on Feb 29th. | 9 | 23.5 | 1 | 1 |
| January 2012 | PERCH | Four in every chain? | PER (in every) + CH(ain); the chain as a measurement is four standardised perches; semi &lit | 3 | 30 | 3 | 6 |
| 2011 Annual Competition | 5 | 10 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2011 | PARTRIDGE in a PEAR TREE (2 defs. + letter mixture) | Bold rebellion against whip, perhaps, from a nervy backbencher | RAVEN in BAY = BRAVE/NAY; Defs = "Bold" and "rebellion against whip, perhaps"; mixture = (A NERVY BA)ckbencher. | 9 | 17.5 | 0 | 1 |
| October 2011 | MOCKTAIL (New Chambers Word) | I'm to lack rum? | (IM TO LACK)*; &lit | 1 | 53.5 | 0 | 4 |
| September 2011 | CLANDESTINE | Unseen Family Fortunes is out! | CLAN + DESTINIES, – IS | 10 | 16.5 | 5 | 1 |
| June 2011 | FAULT | That's from a futile shot? | &lit (ref. a shot in tennis); (AFUTILE)* – IE (that's) | 8 | 21.5 | 1 | 1 |
| May 2011 | IRONSIDE | Cavalry to press on? | IRON (press) + SIDE (on, for example = side in cricket). Ref. Cromwell's Ironside Cavalry | 3 | 32.5 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2011 | DUVET DAY | Arrangement to evade duty, being low in energy? | (EVADE DUTY)* – E; &lit. | 9 | 18.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2009 Annual Competition | 20 | 4 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2009 | CRIMBO (Misprints) | Bad boy, Derek – time to put pants on! | Misprint is "panto"; Bad Boy = "CRIM" (criminal) + "BO" (Bo Derek) | 2 | 43 | 0 | 3 |