CCCWC February 2009 competition results
More information | Comments | All results | < Previous | Next > | Annual competition
53 clues entered. 47 votes cast (40 competitors, 7 others).
MCJOB
Another great turnout for the voting – thanks to all.
Very much a two horse race this month with Richard just nicking it and preventing JT from chalking up a double. Much closer for the minor placings with a new John taking 3rd place – welcome! Fourth and fifth spots are taken by two "new" regulars (hopefully!) showing their Azed pedigrees by grabbing podium finishes for the second month running. Well done to all!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Richard Saunders | It's little money and constant work! | M (money) C (constant) JOB (work). Abbreviations M = money and c = constant are both in Chambers. | 78.5 | 6 |
| 2 | 16 | John Tozer | Employment such as Scrooge might offer with Jacob M not about, possibly? | anag. less a, ref. Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol | 65 | 3 |
| 3 | 30 | John Tabraham | Low paid work primarily making chips, juice or burgers | Initial letters; &lit | 37 | 1 |
| 4 | 34 | David Harry | Miserable career – joyless, obnoxious, boring – and that's just for starters. | Initial letters & lit. | 36 | 1 |
| 5 | 19 | Richard Heald | Heads of businesses organize junk mail campaigns to distribute post nobody really wants | anag. of first letters | 35 | 4 |
| 6 | 38 | Ian Harper | Opening for menial pursued by patiently long-suffering individual after college? | M(enial) followed by (biblical) Job after C=college: &lit | 34.5 | 2 |
| 7 | 2 | Eddie Looby | At first Monte Carlo juniors observe bankers doling out chips, for instance. | Initial letters; ref Monte Carlo casino. Def: doling out chips | 30.5 | 2 |
| 8 | 11 | Dave Parfitt | Coloured wedges my objective when playing Trivial Pursuit | C in M + OBJ*; wedges = transitive verb | 28.5 | 2 |
| 9 | 45 | Luciano Ward | Subway gig maybe leads to Clapham Junction being besieged by crowd | MOB surrounding C+J (leads to Clapham Junction); Subway gig = musical performance at station OR job at (maybe) Subway outlet | 27.5 | 1 |
| 10 | 44 | Chris Jeremy | Serving up sources of Creutzfeldt-Jakob in a cap? | CJ in mob | 23 | 3 |
| 11 | 50 | Toastmaster had patience but no prospects | Toastmaster = Master of ceremonies (MC) + Job (proverb = patience of Job) | 20.5 | ||
| 12 | 24 | It could involve one making toast and juice, flipping burger primarily | MC, OJ rev, B +lit | 18.5 | 1 | |
| 12 | 27 | Junk post? | Cryptic def, with allusion to McD junk food | 18.5 | 1 | |
| 14 | 6 | Bunch of misfits surrounding Reggie's boss work for peanuts | CJ (R Perrin's boss) in Mob | 14 | 1 | |
| 15 | 33 | Menial work caught Jack among rabble | CJ in mob | 12.5 | ||
| 16 | 14 | Crowd including Reggie Perrin's old boss work in a grotty set-up | CJ in mob, ref RP's Grot organisation in 1970's TV series | 12 | ||
| 16 | 20 | Host a tested man in a position with few prospects? | "Host" = mc (master of ceremonies), "a tested man" = Job, "a position with few prospects" = Mcjob. | 12 | ||
| 18 | 10 | CMJ's flustered by outside broadcast position in burger joint. | CMJ* + O(utside) B(roadcast). "Position in burger joint" is the definition. CMJ is Christopher Martin Jenkins, the well-known Test Match Special cricket commentator, whose JOB involves outside broadcasts. | 11.5 | 2 | |
| 19 | 52 | Where returns in the post are few? | cryptic def. | 11 | 2 | |
| 20 | 51 | Troubled resident of Uz follows compere for dead-end job. | MC(compere) + JOB (Biblical character) | 10.5 | ||
| 21 | 8 | Career creating juices, milkshakes or burgers primarily (5) | &lit career = anagram indicator (of CJMOB) | 10 | ||
| 21 | 39 | Patient chap chases menial chores initially for little reward? | JOB (OT Character known for patience) with MC first. | 10 | ||
| 23 | 9 | Chambers have this new precedent for McKenzie Friend – an unqualified position | i.e. it is before McKenzie in new edition, definition works for either entry | 9.5 | ||
| 24 | 3 | At the end of the 11th century work could be flipping low paid. | At end of 11th century (1100) – MC, work – JOB + def. | 9 | ||
| 24 | 46 | Thankless task for man with digger securing nothing | Thankless task (definition) = man (M) + digger (JCB) containing O | 9 | 2 | |
| 26 | 35 | Modest career: Junior Operative (Burgers) – it'll do for starters | Init. letters &lit? | 7.5 | 1 | |
| 27 | 1 | A second digger made for cheap work. | Second-mo;digger-jcb;made-anag. | 7 | 2 | |
| 27 | 47 | 'The Scottish Patient' – an inferior work? | Patient = a patient person (Chambers & OED)i.e. Job. Scottish patient = McJob. Inferior work = def. Fanciful ref. to possible sequel to 'The English Patient' | 7 | 1 | |
| 29 | 13 | Crowd around judge in measly employment (5) | M(CJ)ob | 6 | ||
| 29 | 21 | In recession, economic growth's half-hearted. Housing? Christ! A flipping situation | M(C.J.)oOB (full rev.) | 6 | ||
| 29 | 28 | Leaders of McDonald's Corporation jettison outrageous bonus for unskilled low-paid post | Initial letters of "McDonald's Corporation jettison outrageous bonus". | 6 | 1 | |
| 32 | 36 | Oddly Jack is back in the pack, but is this what the King has turned his hand to? | oddly Jack is back = CJ pack = mob what the King has turned his hand to? = ? is elvis still alive and flipping burgers? | 5 | 1 | |
| 32 | 41 | Pennyless JCPenney mob sheds ego and resorts to menial work. | JCPENNEY(- PENNY – E) + Mob —> re-sorts (anagram indicator) —> Mcjob | 5 | ||
| 32 | 42 | Period of economic growth over – with nothing to lose, Reggie’s boss is in dead-end position | rev. of BOOM less O, containing CJ, ref. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | 5 | ||
| 35 | 7 | Burger flipper starts to mix catsup, jam over bun!(5) | direct = burger flipper starts to = 1st letters indicator: Mix Catsup Jam Over Bun | 4.5 | ||
| 36 | 18 | Gaelic son of pious author offers position with low pay and few prospects. | Gaelic "son of" = Mc; pious author = Job | 4 | ||
| 36 | 23 | Is Hammer's work exciting? Nah, it's a bit of a drudge. | Hammer – MC Hammer, work = job. | 4 | ||
| 36 | 29 | Lousy service station on motorway, hole with JCB working by it | M = motorway, O = hole in JCB*; def. 'Lousy service station' | 4 | 1 | |
| 36 | 48 | the work done by scotsmans son | work=job mc=scottish son | 4 | 2 | |
| 40 | 26 | Jugular severely cut when comb waved about? Bad position to be in! | J(ugular) in COMB* | 3.5 | 1 | |
| 41 | 4 | Award lover of Muck a piece of burger for poorly paid work | MC (military cross = award) + JO (Scottish beloved .. Muck being the Isle) + B | 2.5 | ||
| 41 | 15 | Early fragments here, by old master John Constable — crude, unskilful work | anagram of first letters; def. merely 'unskilful work' | 2.5 | ||
| 41 | 53 | With little money, some career is this, requiring one who copes well with tedium? | M c(areer) Job; &lit. | 2.5 | ||
| 44 | 37 | Old tramp riddled with degenerative disease, not dead, but close…hopeless situation | CJ(D) inside MOB²; riddled²; close: near/niggardly. Def.: "close…hopeless situation" | 2 | ||
| 45 | 32 | Master of JCB shifts work done by menial | Anag M+O+JCB | 1 | ||
| 45 | 43 | Second-class post complaint follows what looks like a letter sorting error (5) | Second-class post (def., MCJ + OB (complaint) | 1 | 1 | |
| 47 | 40 | Patient guy starts to merit commendation at first. It's not much use to him financially! | First letters M C and Job (Old Testament) | 0.5 | ||
| 48 | 5 | Bad comb-over! Jack gets no Donald Trump employment | COMB anagram containing J. /gets/ no Donald Trump employment=definition | 0 | ||
| 48 | 12 | Compare, let's say, patient: one dead. End work. | Compare = homophone for "compere" = MC (master of ceremonies)/patient one = JOB/def = dead-end work. | 0 | 2 | |
| 48 | 17 | Fast food outlet drudgery is son of a chore north of the border | Double definition using Mc ('son of' in Gaelic) | 0 | ||
| 48 | 22 | Initially, Manchester City's Jo (Brazil) earned a fortune for sweet FA – or the contrary? (5) | Man City's Brazilian star arrived on an inflated salary but delivered so little he has been loaned out to Everton. FA = nothing or Football Association | 0 | ||
| 48 | 31 | Male on strike casing joint? There's not much to be gained from it | m + c-J-ob | 0 | ||
| 48 | 49 | This work leads to jolly cheap burgers and monkeys often stressed | initial letters anag & lit; work vt; "you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" | 0 |