CCCWC Christmas Special 2008 competition results
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35 clues entered. 33 votes cast (26 competitors, 7 others).
CRACKER / VINTAGE (Right & Left)
Always a tough call for me at Christmas. I like to give you all a slightly stiffer task, but it seems these two words did give some (non-alcohol-induced!) headaches over the festive period!
Nevertheless, as always, many rose to the challenge – and a worthy winner – well done Ian! – although John and Mick were hot on his heels.
Thanks to all who made the extra effort to enter this competition, and to those who submitted COMMENTS.
And so to 2009…
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Ian Harper | Negative batting? Boycott the last old-fashioned, safe opener, and one of the best of the type | NEGATIVE* with its final E "boycotted" (batting = fluttering – see Chambers): double def of cracker (1st ref safebreaking) | 52.5 | 4 |
| 2 | 17 | John Hood | I get Van playing classic Coltrane creation – for which credit goes to clarinetist | Anagram "I get Van" = vintage (= classic). Coltrane (Robbie, not John) creation is TV detective Cracker .. clued as CR (credit) + ACKER (Bilk, famous jazz clarinetist) | 47 | 4 |
| 3 | 11 | Mick Hodgkin | Get in a mess after very old joke touching on queen – it should be pulled! | V, GETINA*; CRACK, ER. | 46.5 | 4 |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Price | In TV age stirring, classic crime series is a good 'un! | VINTAGE: anag/def = "classic" CRACKER: def x2 ("Cracker" – series starring Robbie Coltrane) | 35.5 | 1 |
| 5 | 3 | Nick Smith | A special time in the heart of Devon eating clotted cream, perhaps, and a peach | deVon (V) + EATING anag; cream cracker + definitions first and last | 26 | 2 |
| 5 | 29 | Luciano Ward | See King and Queen guzzling tipsy cake, a savoury biscuit, fine wine, a slice of venison, tea, gin, nuts… | C (see) + R(CAKE*)R ('tipsy cake' – see Chambers); V + TEAGIN* | 26 | 2 |
| 7 | 1 | Brian Douglas | Against eating crumbled, out of date biscuit, –or nuts, if more than one. | (versus)V+INTAGE(eating: anag.)/ CRACKER (= biscuit: crackerS(plural)= nuts, crazy) | 24 | 1 |
| 8 | 34 | Arnold Peace | Vera's eating dodgy out of date banger – that's fine with Jack! | V-INTAGE. Vera = V + anag(dodgy)EATING. Out of date = def (Chambers)/// CRACKER = Banger (firework/sausage) crackerJACK (i.e. with)= fine. Ref to the (oft warring) Duckworth's (Corrie) | 20.5 | 1 |
| 9 | 26 | Margaret Irvine | Reputedly, Raffles biscuit tin gave assortment of the best | Cracker – double def, ref Raffles the master cracksman; Vintage (=of the best), anag. Raffles should suggest posh hotel | 18.5 | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Trevor Crowther | In here's a banger – rotten car wreck with missing tin gave out at its peak | Ref to Xmas cracker, anag of CAR WRECK less W. Anag of TIN GAVE. | 17.5 | 1 |
| 11 | 24 | Person finishing case, perhaps, opening last of the red wine that's been given time to mature | Left: Person finishing case, perhaps, opening last of the red Explanation: Person who cracks the case. CRACK (noun) + (TH)E + R Right: wine that's been given time to mature Explanation: VIN + T + AGE &Lit. [Chambers: vintage (n) = wine, esp. of a good year] | 16.5 | 4 | |
| 12 | 23 | One that's pulled wedge close to thicket given a tricky choice | CRACKER = 'one that's pulled' and 'wedge'; VINTAGE = anag. T ('close to thicket') + GIVEN + A; def. 'choice' | 14 | 2 | |
| 13 | 6 | Eating crumbled, with very fine wine, biscuit that is predominantly nutty. | (eating)* with (in this case following) v, def. 'fine wine'; then cracker{s}, def. 'biscuit' | 13 | 2 | |
| 14 | 20 | It may contain quip on Queen Victoria, principally, eating sour grapes. | CRACKER: quip = crack + Queen = ER; &lit VINTAGE: initial V + eating*; definition: grapes | 12 | ||
| 15 | 4 | Classic cocktail of TV, gin, a soft drug & hard drug, then the queen's traditional Christmas item | classic=vintage; anag. of "TV, GIN, A"; soft drug=E; hard drug=crack; the queen=ER; traditional Christmas item=cracker | 11.5 | ||
| 16 | 14 | Great joke here? Cheese is more likely to be given at rowdy annual gathering | CRACKER – 2 mngs (joke/biscuit) &lit (ref. Xmas cracker joke); VINTAGE – (given at)* def=annual gathering (of e.g. grapes) | 11 | 1 | |
| 17 | 16 | High quality French wine needs time to mature, going pop when opened – very fine! | VINTAGE: Def "High quality", VIN + T + AGE; CRACKER: Double def (Xmas cracker and very fine, as in "the show was an absolute cracker"). | 10.5 | 1 | |
| 18 | 25 | Pop, then The Queen – a big pull this Christmas Day on TV in broadcast of long standing. | Christmas / Day; crack + ER; anag. + age; BBC1 always broadcasts Top of the Pops before The Queen | 10 | 1 | |
| 19 | 9 | Fun in Ireland with redhead consuming eye opening, knockout quality French wine time and time again | CRACK+R containing E; defn='knockout' / defn=quality; VIN+T+AGE | 8.5 | ||
| 20 | 31 | solver of clues, pulled with best wine | solver of clues = cracker with (best wine)=vintage | 8 | ||
| 21 | 8 | Fine wine to get a rollicking from foremost of critics: “Bin ends of ordinaire, another poor white” | [VIN + GETA* (rollick¹ = behave in a carefree, playful or boisterous manner). C(ritics) + RACK (= “bin” – see Chambers) + (ordinair)E + (anothe)R. Defs: “Fine”; “poor white”. Break before “from”] | 6 | 2 | |
| 21 | 30 | Shelves in cellar all gone, get poor white wine crushing skins of grape in vat. | RACK in CE(lla)R, cracker = poor white (US slang); G(rap)E IN VAT* | 6 | ||
| 23 | 10 | Gathering information about Ryvita, one says "It's an exceedingly good biscuit". | Vintage/Cracker: Def + (information)GEN about* (wRy*)VITA / Double def. | 5.5 | 2 | |
| 23 | 28 | Saltine, pretzel and wine given at party | Double definition (saltine, pretzel = cracker); wine = vintage; given at = vintage (party = anagram indicator) | 5.5 | ||
| 25 | 2 | A season’s yield of wine surprisingly given at Royal Automobile Club kermesse without embarrassment or initial error when opened by Commons leader – an exceptionally good example of its type | Explanation: GIVEN AT*/ (C) RAC + kermesse – mess – e | 4.5 | ||
| 26 | 12 | Good old Pop may be given, at bash, something specially good to pull on! | VINTAGE, old bubbly perhaps, anag 'given at'/CRACKER, dbl mng & lit. | 3.5 | ||
| 27 | 7 | Explosive characters leading Congo and Rwanda brought about endless tumult yet having leaders bumped off not right. Period. | racke(t) in C R; (y)et (h)aving anag; period adjective | 3 | 1 | |
| 27 | 22 | Old cruck holds club queen also ace | Break is cru/ck. Old and cru: double defn. of vintage. CK around RAC(club) also ER(queen) = cracker. Defn. ace. | 3 | 3 | |
| 27 | 35 | Wine given at revel something really good? That's often a terrible joke! | anag.; 2 defs, 's = has | 3 | ||
| 30 | 5 | Corkingly good, Frenchy's 20, (if not grand and mature) – a pull making Xmas go with a bang | Vintage = vin(g)t + age; Cracker = double def &lit | 2.5 | ||
| 31 | 32 | Superior and crew chatted about a stunner the tube intoduced over Christmas | VINTAGE/CRACKER – Double def.: superior/cru (crew sounds like cru); double def.: a stunner/the tube introduced over Christmas | 0.5 | ||
| 32 | 13 | Good wine for victor in children's game, and drugs queen made thin biscuit | def vintage = good wine, V (victor) + IN + TAG (children's game), drugs = E, CRACK, + ER (queen), def cracker = thin biscuit | 0 | 2 | |
| 32 | 15 | Great wine blast given – about time! A curious reporter present: "That went off with a bang." | VIN(T+A)GE (given)* / CRACKER (2 defs.)["curious" denotes whimsical use of reporter for that which makes a sharp noise] | 0 | ||
| 32 | 27 | Rocket car leaving extremes of orbit originally drawn in comic strip classic | CRACKER: (ROCKETCAR minus O(rbi)T)*. VINTAGE: Double def. strip (of grapes) & classic. | 0 | ||
| 32 | 33 | TV crime-buster Endeavour – disheartened by pub gossip, in a state about being old – wine's needed here. | crack E(ndeavou)r / Vt round in + age. Cracker = TV crime-buster. crack = pub gossip. Vt = Vermont, a US state. age = being old. vintage = wine. | 0 |