CCCWC April 2019 competition results
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48 clues entered. 36 votes cast (32 competitors, 4 others).
SUCKER-PUNCH
Congratulations to Paul Coulter who bags his first win since 2010! A well-worked anagram that created a very plausible surface reading.
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Paul Coulter | Doctor runs checkup – you get unexpected jab | RUNS CHECKUP anag. | 46 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 41 | Terry Neale | Sweet alcoholic drink delivering an unexpected wallop | Sweet = sucker (inf Chambers); alcoholic drink = punch; delivering = link word; an unexpected wallop = definition | 39.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 17 | Luciano Ward | Doctor runs check-up; result delivers unexpected blow | RUNSCHCHECKUP anag; def = unexpected blow | 36 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 25 | Steve Randall | Jab unexpectedly delivered as doctor runs check-up | anag (doctor) of RUNSCHECKUP | 33.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 28 | John Doylend | Mug seaside entertainer in surprise attack (6,5) | Mug = sucker: Seaside entertainer (MR) Punch. | 29.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 31 | John Fidler | Punk crouches awkwardly and with nothing to lose delivers unexpected blow. | Anagram minus 'o'. | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 39 | Peter Moore Fuller | Surprise bash? | Cryptic definition | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 27 | John Appleton | Mötley Crüe's punk choir is a surprise hit | Anagrind = motley; (CRUESPUNKCH)*. Ref. to rock band Mötley Crüe. | 22.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | 12 | Satyen Nabar | Cock-up! He's run out scoring zero – an unexpected blow | (COCKUPHESRUN)* – O | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | 48 | Nigel Lack | Without warning, hit and shoot abusive husband | Without warning hit – verb of sucker punch. Shoot (plant shoot) /sucker, abusive husband/Punch as in Punch and Judy | 20.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 22 | Heck! Car spun out of control around bend, taking a hit you didn't see coming (6,5) | (HECK CAR SPUN)* around U – A, Def = hit you didn't see coming, Anagram indicator = out of control, Deletion indicator = taking A, Bend = U | 15.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | 20 | Dummy with a mixture of fruity flavours is a surprise hit. | Dummy = (1)Baby's dummy (2)sucker….Punch/Fruity mixture | 14 | 0 | 2 | |
| 12 | 45 | Unexpected plug giving support to the Listener magazine | ‘succour’ + Punch; plug = punch | 14 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 | 6 | Audience support given to hook-nosed, slapstick character produced a surprise hit | Audience (homophone ind) support = SUCCOUR/SUCKER + famous puppet character, PUNCH = a surprise hit (def, and play on word “hit”) | 12 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 | 21 | Eccentric check up nurse scratching one's back is an unexpected hit (6-5) | [CHECK UP NURSE – E (onE's back)]* anagram ind. – eccentric. Definition – an unexpected hit | 12 | 1 | 2 | |
| 14 | 26 | Maybe user of straw with drink will give unseemly blow | sucker + punch, ref. childish bubble-blowing | 12 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | 2 | A parasite, short and thick, Trump's a surprise hit? | SUCKER (parasite) + PUNCH (short and thick) (Chambers). Trump is an American, and SUCKER-PUNCH is American slang. Trump claims to be taller than he is. | 11.5 | 0 | ||
| 18 | 10 | Charlie Pierce may surprise you | 'Charlie' = credulous person/sucker (Chambers) & 'Pierce' = make hole/punch | surface: CP is an American sportswriter & lead political blogger for Esquire magazine (Wikipedia) | 10 | 1 | 1 | |
| 19 | 33 | Run checkups — dreadful blow from behind. | RUNCHECKUPS anag of SUCKERPUNCH. | 8.5 | 0 | ||
| 19 | 43 | The Marquis of Queensbury would not consider such a belt to be the pride of a Champion | Marquis of Queensbury boxing rules forbade a sucker-punch = belt (def), but also a trophy belt | 8.5 | 1 | ||
| 21 | 5 | Attack from behind: shoot with dash and zest. | Def/shoot = sucker (on a plant)/dash = hyphen/zest = punch. | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| 22 | 30 | Mug with bit of wit at church is a surprising hit | SUCKER+PUN+CH | 7.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 23 | 9 | Caught unawares, the bowler awkwardly checks run up | Caught unawares – def at sea – anagrind checks run up – fodder | 7 | 0 | 1 | |
| 23 | 11 | Checks run-up..damaged? It's an unexpected blow! (6-5) | Checks run-up* anagram fodder/ damaged is the Anagrind/ it's an unexpected blow is the def. Cricket reference | 7 | 0 | 2 | |
| 23 | 14 | Consumer drink for Noel Coward's play | consume = suck; punch is a common Christmas drink; & lit | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
| 23 | 18 | Doctor runs check-up to reveal possible cause of pain to unwary victim | Anagram 'runs check-up' | 7 | 0 | ||
| 27 | 16 | Description Judy gave of consort’s surprise delivery | DD (1) Description Judy gave of husband. (They are seldom on good terms). (2) Surprise delivery: A sucker-punch … or a gift? | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 28 | 7 | Blow from behind disturbs checkups run across the pond (11) | (CHECKUPSRUN)* ; “across the pond” indicates US usage | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 29 | 15 | Cowardly Yankee blow. Don't blow queen slug. | Cowardly Yankee blow (DEF). Don't blow (SUCK) Queen (ER) slug (PUNCH) | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| 30 | 3 | Adopt this violent and shock uppercut? | & lit. comp. anag. violent* (AND SHOCK UPPERCUT) = (ADOPT) + SUCKER-PUNCH. | 3.5 | 0 | ||
| 30 | 36 | Straw with drink produces unexpected blow | Cryptic clue, unexpected blow is the def. | 3.5 | 1 | ||
| 30 | 42 | Sweet drink – a slug that's surprising | sweet = SUCKER, drink = PUNCH; a slug that's surprising = definition | 3.5 | 1 | ||
| 33 | 8 | Canuck, though not a pusher, arranged lightning strike in Detroit | *C(A)NUCK + PUSHER; def. lightning strike in Detroit | 3 | 0 | ||
| 33 | 46 | Unexpected wallop of spectacular hunks sadly knocking out wobbly Atlas | Subtractive anagram {SPECTACULAR HUNKS}* less ATLAS* | 3 | 1 | ||
| 35 | 4 | American box unexpectedly turning up in checks run randomly | UP< inside CHECKSRUN* | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | 13 | Confused, UK essentially spurns EC’s introduction of customs handbooks- it is an unexpected blow (6-5) | Def: it’s an unexpected blow Anagram (confused ) of (UK+-sPURN-s+ECS+C+H) | 2 | 2 | ||
| 35 | 23 | Innards of striker punctured running with such boxing surprise attack | SUC(striKERPUNCtured)H, “running” used as adverb in sense of “together” enabling innards of ”strikerpunctured” considered as one entity. | 2 | 0 | ||
| 35 | 38 | Suddenly lick asshole (6-5) | Ass = Sucker (foolish person); Hole (v.) = Punch; Suddenly lick = Def | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 39 | 47 | Unwanted stem refreshment – shocking blow. | 'Unwanted stem' = sucker, 'refreshment' = punch (the drink), 'shocking blow' = sucker punch | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| 40 | 32 | Ren upchucks from violent hit. (6-5) | ANAGRAM [renupchucks] = hit = SUCKER-PUNCH | 1 | 1 | ||
| 40 | 35 | Sounds like Czechs run up breaking strike without warning! (6-5) | Anagram of 'CHECKS RUN UP; anagrind = breaking | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 42 | 1 | A goat is given goad or a dog shot? | A goat (SUCKER) is given goad (PUNCH) which is a dog shot, a synonym of SUCKER-PUNCH | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 42 | 24 | It sounds like it's an honour to draw the Queen wearing that surprising clobber? (6-5) | (PUN has CH next to SUCK) = SUCK PU CH | ER inside that lot| def: surprising clobber – "?" = the def's cryptic. No extra charge for the dangling modifier:ie Who's wearing the "surprising clobber" – HM or the implied artist? | 0 | 1 | ||
| 42 | 29 | Mug shot of gloved hitman's foul ! | Mug = sucker , shot = punch + definition (foul committed by boxer) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | 34 | Shoot to get herd in the Wild West in surprise attack | SUCKER(shoot) + PUNCH(herd cattle as a cowboy) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | 37 | Such an upset reckon is caused by throwing this at nose? (6-5) | Composite anagram with & littish def. Sucker punch is an upset defeat and also a knockout punch like one thrown at nose. (SUCKERPUNCH+ATNOSE)* = SUCH AN UPSET RECKON : is caused by = link , throwing =anagrind, | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | 40 | Surprising blow little whale to apply with force | SUCKER=new-born whale+PUNCH=to apply with force | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | 44 | Unexpected blow from puppet after lollipop | sucker + Punch | 0 | 1 |